Two Army soldiers wounded in ongoing encounter in J&K’s Rajouri

Rajouri, Oct 3: Two army soldiers were wounded in an ongoing encounter with terrorists in the forested regions of Soom and Broh villages in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, officials said today.

The encounter began late in the evening on Monday when a search team of security forces established contact with terrorists during an anti-terror operation. The operation was initiated on Monday morning in response to reports of suspicious movements in the area.

Broh and Soom villages are situated in the hinterland of Rajouri district and fall under the jurisdiction of the Kalakote police station.

Officials have reported that joint teams comprising the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir police, and CRPF had cordoned off the area on Monday morning, conducting extensive searches due to suspicions of terrorist presence. The search operation persisted throughout the day, with sporadic instances of “speculative firing”.

In the late hours of Monday evening, terrorists reportedly opened fire on the search teams from within the forest, provoking a retaliatory response that led to an exchange of gunfire.

The intense gun battle continued into the intervening night between Monday and Tuesday, resulting in injuries to two army personnel. Both injured soldiers have been evacuated to the army hospital in Rajouri, with their conditions reported as stable.

As of the latest reports, the encounter in the area remains ongoing.