Doda encounter: Army captain killed during search, four terrorists neutralised

An Army captain was killed and four terrorists believed to be killed in an ongoing operation in the higher reaches of Jammu region's Doda district on Wednesday, officials said.

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As reported by PTI citing officials, the encounter broke out in a thickly forested area during a cordon and search operation (CASO) launched by a joint team to track down a group of foreign terrorists hiding in the Shivgarh-Assar belt.

A civilian was injured in a gunbattle that occurred just before Independence Day. Officials recovered four blood-soaked rucksacks and M-4 carbines from the site. The terrorists are reported to be holed up near a river in Assar.

They had crossed into Doda from a forest near Patnitop in the neighboring Udhampur district after a brief exchange of fire with security forces.

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According to officials, security forces established contact with the terrorists around 6 pm in Udhampur on Tuesday. The encounter began about half an hour later and continued intermittently until both sides paused. A cordon was established overnight.

The search was resumed at daylight. At about 7.30 am today, there was a renewed exchange of fire, officials said.

(With inputs from PTI)