Toll climbs to 8 | Officials from Army, J&K admn pay tributes to soldiers martyred in line of duty

The death toll in the twin encounters in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir climbed to eight on Sunday as security forces recovered bodies of two more terrorists, officials said.

Six terrorists were killed and two soldiers laid down their lives in the twin encounters. One of the slain soldiers was an elite para commando, officials said on Saturday.

Director General of Police RR Swain said: “A total of six terrorists have been neutralised. It is a big milestone in the efforts towards strengthening the security environment. This is a big progress.”

“This is an indication that the security architecture and involvement of people is leading to the flow of human intelligence and this fight (against terror) will be taken to its logical conclusion,” he added.

Swain added that since the operation is on, it is not clear to which outfit the slain terrorists belonged to. There is a possibility of local terrorists. Once the operation will be over, we can confirm if they belonged to one outfit or more, he said.

The police had not disclosed the affiliation and identification of the slain militants. Sources, however said, the slain militants in the two operations were residents of South Kashmir.

“Chinar Warriors salute the valour and sacrifice of both brave hearts. We stand in solidarity with the bereaved families & are committed to their well-being,” Indian Army’s Chinar Corps wrote on X.

“Lance Naik Pardeep Kumar and Sepoy Pravin Janjal Prabhakar made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty in Kulgam,” the post read. On Sunday, Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, UT Chief Secretary and other senior officials paid homage to the slain soldiers.

As per sources, operations at two places have “almost concluded.”

On Saturday, officials had said the first gunfight broke out at Modergam village after security forces received an input about the presence of militants in the village. After a few hours later, another gunfight broke out in the Frisal Chinnigam area in same Kulgam district.

While four militants died in the Frisal encounter, two bodies were recovered from the Modergam village.

Courtesy: The Tribune India: 8th July , 2024