2 Army personnel killed in blast triggered by terrorists during operation in Rajouri

Rajouri: Two army personnel belonging to Special Forces were killed and four others, including a Major-rank officer, were injured in an explosion triggered by terrorists in a thickly vegetated area in Kandi forest of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Friday, officials said.

A statement from the Army's Northern Command said its personnel have been conducting "relentless intelligence-based operations to flush out a group of terrorists involved in an ambush on an Army truck in the Tota Gali area of Bhata Dhurian in Jammu region last month".

"On specific information about the presence of terrorists in the Kandi Forest in the Rajouri Sector, a joint operation was launched on May 3. Around 7.30 am on Friday, a search team established contact with a group of terrorists well entrenched in a cave. The area is thickly vegetated with rocky and steep cliffs.

"The terrorists triggered an explosive device in retaliation. The Army team has suffered two fatal casualties with injuries to four more soldiers, including an officer," the statement said.

There were reports that there could be around five deaths, besides injuries to a Major-rank officer.

The statement said additional teams from the vicinity have been directed to the site of the encounter and the injured personnel have been evacuated to Command Hospital at Udhampur.

As per initial reports, a group of terrorists are trapped in the area, it said, adding, "There is a likelihood of casualties in the terrorist group and the operation is in progress." Meanwhile, the mobile internet facilities in the Rajouri area have been suspended, officials said.