NEW DELHI: A junior commissioned officer (JCO) of the Indian Army was killed in a gunfight with terrorists during an infiltration attempt and ceasefire violation by Pakistan along the Line of Control in Jammu’s Akhnoor sector on Friday night, officials said.
The encounter took place in the Keri Bhattal area, where troops spotted a group of heavily armed terrorists moving near a stream in a forested zone. When challenged, the infiltrators opened fire, triggering a fierce exchange. A JCO sustained critical injuries in the clash and later succumbed. Reinforcements were immediately deployed, and a search operation is currently underway in the area.
This marks another major ceasefire breach since India and Pakistan reaffirmed their commitment to the 2021 LoC ceasefire agreement.
The encounter with terrorists comes just two days after brigade commander-level talks were held between the two sides in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, aimed at managing border tensions and preventing such incidents.
Also read: Three terrorists killed in ongoing Kishtwar encounter
Meanwhile, anti-terror operations continue elsewhere in Jammu and Kashmir, with three terrorists killed in Kishtwar district.
The Army’s White Knight Corps shared that a joint “search and destroy” mission with Jammu and Kashmir Police was launched on April 9 in the Chhatru forest of Kishtwar based on intelligence inputs. One terrorist was killed in an initial firefight that evening.
A follow-up update from the Corps stated: “In the ongoing operations at Chhatru, Kishtwar, despite bad and inclement weather, two more Pakistani terrorists have been eliminated. A large quantity of war-like stores including one AK and one M4 rifle have been recovered.”
In a similar incident earlier this year, two Army personnel, including a captain, were killed and another injured when terrorists triggered an improvised explosive device (IED) in the same region on February 11.
The Indian Army has formally raised a strong protest with the Pakistani side over repeated cross-border terror attempts and ceasefire violations.
Just days before this latest encounter, on April 5, Border Security Force (BSF) personnel shot dead a Pakistani intruder along the International Border in the R S Pura sector, following which a flag meeting was held with the Pakistan Rangers.
