Rajnath Singh and Army Chief Rush to Jammu as Encounter Unfolds in Rajouri
Ten News Network
New Delhi (India), May 6, 2023: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Army Chief General Manoj Pande are scheduled to visit Jammu today to review the prevailing security situation as an encounter between security forces and terrorists unfolds in Rajouri’s Kandi forest area, sources familiar with the matter revealed.
The Northern Army Commander, Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, arrived this morning to assess the ongoing counter-terror operations named “Trinetra.”
A defense spokesperson stated, “Lt. Gen. Dwivedi, the Northern Command chief, is assessing the operational situation regarding the ongoing operations at Kandi in Rajouri, where contact was re-established with the militants.” Ground commanders provided a comprehensive briefing to Lt. Gen. Dwivedi on all aspects of the operations.
In a fresh exchange of gunfire in the early hours of Saturday, one terrorist was killed and another is suspected to be injured in the Kandi forest area. The encounter began when contact was made with the terrorists around 1.15 a.m., leading to a firefight as they tried to evade the security cordon. At 5 a.m., the cordon was repositioned, and the gunbattle continued, as confirmed by Army officials.
On Friday, an ambush by terrorists in the Kandi forest area resulted in the tragic loss of five soldiers. It remains uncertain if this attack was orchestrated by the same group of terrorists responsible for ambushing an army truck and killing five soldiers on April 20.
Among the soldiers killed on Friday, four were commandos from the elite 9 Para (Special Forces) unit, while the fifth soldier belonged to a Rashtriya Rifles battalion, according to sources.
The fallen soldiers were identified as Havildar Neelam Singh from Akhnoor, Naik Arvind Kumar from Palampur, Lance Naik Ruchin Singh Rawat from Gairsain in Uttarakhand, Paratrooper Siddhant Chettri from Darjeeling, and Paratrooper Pramod Negi from Sirmaur in Himachal Pradesh.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha paid tribute to these brave soldiers who lost their lives in an IED explosion triggered by terrorists during the encounter in Rajouri.
