Jammu & Kashmir: Army commando and jawan killed in action amid fighting with terrorists in Kishtwar

A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) from the Army, Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar of 2 Para (Special Forces), was killed, and three other commandos were injured during an encounter with terrorists in Kishtwar's Bhart Ridge area, Jammu and Kashmir, on November 10, officials said.

The Army's White Knight Corps reported that Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar from 2 Para (Special Forces) was killed, and three other commandos were injured in a gunfight on November 10 in Kishtwar's Bhart Ridge area.

"GOC (General Officer Commanding) White knight Corps and all ranks salute the supreme sacrifice of braveheart, Nb Sub Rakesh Kumar of 2 Para (SF). Sub Rakesh was part of a joint CI (counter-insurgency) operation launched in general area of Bhart Ridge Kishtwar. We stand with bereaved family in this hour of grief," the Army's White Knight Corps said in a statement.

The encounter began when joint search teams from the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police came across terrorists in Keshwan forest, close to where the bodies of Village Defence Guards (VDGs), Nazir Ahmad and Kuldeep Kumar, were found.

Following the abduction and killing of the two VDGs, a large-scale search was launched in the forests of Kuntwara and Keshwan. Acting on a tip-off about the presence of two terrorists linked to the incident, the Army and police initiated a joint operation on Sunday, according to the White Knight Corps.

At the time of reporting, a large-scale search operation was still underway in the area to pinpoint the terrorists' exact location.