Colonel, Major among 5 killed in encounter in J&K

An Indian Army colonel, a major and three other security personnel were killed in action during an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district. Two Army soldiers and a police officer were part of the five-member team which came under heavy fire that began on Saturday and continued late night for more than eight hours.

A joint anti-terrorist operation by the armed forces and J&K Police was carried out in the Handwara area of the district in north Kashmir, about 70 km from capital Srinagar, according to an official statement, and the five-member team was able to rescue several civilians. Two terrorists were killed during the joint operation.

"Based on the intelligence input that terrorists were taking the civilian inmates of a house in Changimulla, (in the) Handwara (area) of Kupwara district, hostage, a joint operation was launch by Army and JK Police. A team comprising of five Army and JK Police personnel entered the target area occupied by the terrorists to evacuate the civ (civilians)," the statement read.

"The team of Army and JK Police entered the tgt (target) area and successfully extricated the civ. However, during the process, the team was subjected to heavy volume of fire by the terrorists," it added.

(Source: NDTV/India Today)

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