An Indian soldier was killed and two others injured in an ongoing encounter with terrorists in the village of Pandushan in south Kashmir’s Shopian District on Friday morning. The slain was a member of 8 JAT, presently posted with the 34 Rashtriya Rifles.
An Army spokesperson has said that the encounter erupted at around 2:15 a.m. local time after a joint team of the Army’s 34 Rashtriya Rifles, special operations group and Central Reserve Police Force launched a cordon and search operation in the village. A gunfight was still underway as of the latest reports.
As per the sources, 2-3 terrorists are believed to be trapped in the area however there is no confirmation of any casualties on their side so far.
In an another incident, a vehicle from the 55 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) was targeted by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Shopian District on Friday morning. Apart from minor damage to the vehicle, no injuries or casualties were reported following the incident.
The Indian Home Ministry has intensified its anti-terror operation in the past few weeks along with heavy firing on the border. On Thursday, India moved 25,000 more troops to the Pakistani border amid an "unprecedented escalation". The troops will reportedly be deployed at the international border in Rajasthan and in Kashmir.
Relations between the two countries worsened after a 14 February terrorist attack on an Indian military convoy in Kashmir in which more than 40 people were killed. The Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad allegedly claimed responsibility for the attack.
Later in February, India carried out an airstrike in the Pakistani-controlled part of Kashmir, targeting what it said was a training camp belonging to the terrorist group.
The Kashmir region has been fought over by India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in 1947.