A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Indian Army was martyred in an encounter with terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Akhnoor sector, the Army said on Saturday, adding an infiltration attempt by terrorists was foiled.
Army personnel detected movement by a group of heavily armed terrorists near a stream in the forward forest area of Keri Bhattal late on Friday night. The troops challenged the infiltrators, triggering an intense exchange of fire that lasted for an extended period, PTI reported.
During the encounter, a JCO sustained injuries and later succumbed to them. The area has since been sealed off, with reinforcements deployed and a search operation underway.
The soldier has been identified as Kuldeep Chand of the 9 Punjab regiment, Army's White Knight Corps said in a statement on X.
"GOC WhiteKnightCorps and all ranks salute the supreme sacrifice of Braveheart Sub Kuldeep Chand of 9 PUNJAB. He laid down his life while gallantly leading a counter-infiltration operation along the Line of Control in the Keri-Battal area of Sunderbani on the night of 11 April," the post read.
This incident follows a deadly encounter in the same region on February 11, when two Army personnel, including a captain, were killed and another injured in an IED blast triggered by terrorists.
The latest encounter also comes just two days after a brigade commander-level flag meeting was held between Indian and Pakistani forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district. The meeting aimed to address issues related to border management and de-escalation following nearly a dozen incidents of cross-border firing and an IED attack earlier this year.
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The Indian Army reportedly lodged a strong protest during the meeting over ongoing cross-border terror activity and violations of the ceasefire agreement.
Since reaffirming the ceasefire agreement on February 25, 2021, violations along the LoC have been relatively infrequent. However, on April 5, Border Security Force (BSF) personnel shot dead a Pakistani intruder along the International Border in the R S Pura sector. A flag meeting was subsequently held with the Pakistan Rangers to address the matter.