Major, 3 soldiers killed while foiling infiltration bid in Kashmir, 2 terrorists gunned down

An Army major and three soldiers were killed during an operation in which they foiled an infiltration bid in Gurez area of North Kashmir, gunning down two of the eight infiltrators, officials said.

Four infiltrators managed to return to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, while two others were believed to have been injured and hiding in the dense forest around the region, they said.

The officials said that there was an intelligence input about an infiltration bid by eight terrorists in Bagtore area of Gurez.

An Army team led by Major Kaustubh Prakash Kumar Rane laid a siege of the area during the night, but were fired by the terrorists who had positioned themselves comfortably in the cover of darkness, they said.

In the encounter, 29-year-old Major Rane and three other soldiers were killed in the terrorist firing. Two of the infiltrating militants were gunned down in the encounter which took place near Govind Nallah of Gurez, which falls in the Bandipore district of North Kashmir, they said.

Besides Major Rane, who hails from Thane district of Mahashtra, others who fell in the line of duty were 26-year-old riflemen Mandeep Singh Rawat, hailing from Kotdwar in Uttrakhand, Hameer Singh hailing from Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand who would have turned 28 on this Independence Day, and 25-year-old gunner Vikram Jeet Singh from Tepla village of Ambala district in Haryana.

The operation was continuing, they said.