Srinagar: A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Army was martyred, and three other commandos were injured during an encounter with terrorists in a remote forest in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district.

The Army’s White Knight Corps said Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar from 2 Para (Special Forces) was killed, and three commandos were injured in the gunfight on Sunday, 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 {sic}," the Army's White Knight Corps stated.

The encounter began when joint search teams of the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police intercepted two terrorists in the forest, near the site where the bodies of Village Defence Group (VDG) members Nazir Ahmad and Kuldeep Kumar were found with gunshot wounds.

Following the killing and abduction of the VDG members, a large search operation had been ongoing in the forests of Kuntwara and Keshwan in Kishtwar.

During the exchange, four Army para commandos sustained injuries, and Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

At the time of this report, an extensive search operation continued in the area to pinpoint and neutralize the terrorists.

In a separate encounter on Friday, November 8, two terrorists were killed in Baramulla during an anti-terror combing operation conducted on the basis of intelligence inputs.