The valley again sees a wave of unrest, which cost the lives of five bravehearts of the nation in two days.

In a recent development, two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists, including commander Uzair Khan have been trapped in an encounter with the security forces in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district’s Kokernag area, police said today.

A colonel and major of the Indian Army and a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) were killed as an encounter raged between terrorists and security forces at Kokernag in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Sept 13.

Colonel Manpreet Singh, commanding officer of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles (19 RR) unit, Major Ashish Dhancok and DSP Humayun Bhat laid down their lives leading from the front during this ongoing operation. 

The encounter

The firefight started after a joint team of police and security forces got input about the presence of terrorists in that area.

The troops led by the commanding officer and a DSP of J&K police came under heavy firing by the terrorists who were hiding. The three officers were critically injured.

Later, additional security teams reached the spot to zero in on the hiding terrorists and to neutralise them. 

This was the second encounter in two days, followed by the earlier one in which two terrorists were killed and one soldier died in action during a gunfight in the Narla area of J&K’s Rajouri district on Sept 12.

In a statement issued on Sept 13, the Army said, “In a joint operation, Indian Army and J&K police monitored and tracked the movement of two terrorists since Sept 7.

“Own troops cordoned off the terrorists and heavy firefight ensued on Sept 12 wherein one terrorist was killed on the same night,” the statement added.

“Unfortunately, one soldier of 63 RR made the supreme sacrifice and three soldiers have been injured, along with an SPO. A female Army dog named Kent also laid down her life.”

DSP’s father lays a wreath

Bhat, a 2018 batch officer of the J&K police, married last year, a father of a two-month-old daughter and son of retired inspector general of J&K police, Ghulam Hasan Bhat died due to heavy blood loss.

Bhat’s father laid a wreath at his martyred son’s coffin wrapped in the Tricolour on the evening of Sept 13.

Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha paid homage by laying a wreath on the mortal remains of DSP Humayun Bhat, colonel Singh and major Dhonack.

(Source: IANS)

-Edited for style

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