Four soldiers, including army captain, killed in J&K's Doda encounter with terrorists

Four soldiers including a captain-ranked Army officer killed on duty during an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district. According to officials, the encounter began when troops from the Rashtriya Rifles, along with the Special Operations Group of the J-K Police, initiated a joint cordon and search operation on Monday evening.

This operation took place at Dhari Gote Urarbagi, located in the Desa forest area. The search commenced around 7:45 pm on July 15, as the forces aimed to track down and apprehend suspected militants in the region.

Earlier the officials said four army personnel, including the officer, were "critically" injured in the exchange of fire which initially lasted for over 20 minutes. They were evacuated to the hospital where they succumbed to their injuries, the officials said.

The Army said that additional troops were moved into the area and the operation was continuing when reports last came in. The operation was launched on an input about the presence of terrorists, the officials said.

Last week, the security forces tightened their cordon around a forest area in the higher reaches of the Doda district following an encounter with hiding terrorists.