Gunfight rages in Rajouri forests, 2 army soldiers wounded

Two army personnel were injured in a gunfight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, officials said on Tuesday.

The encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists on Monday evening following a cordon and search operation in a forest area of the district, they said.

A joint team of the army and Jammu and Kashmir Police had cordoned off the Broh and Soom forest belts in the Kalakote area on Monday following information about suspicious movement, they said.

The terrorists fired at the troops in an attempt to break the cordon resulting in retaliatory fire, officials said.

In the gun battle, two army personnel were injured, a senior police officer told PTI. He said that they have been hospitalised and their condition is stable.

Two terrorists are believed to be inside the cordoned area, they said, adding reinforcements have been rushed to plug all possible escape routes, they said.

A defence spokesperson said the joint operation was launched in the general area in Kalakote and technology is being used to monitor the terrorists.

Presently, an intense operation is underway, he added.