NEW DELHI, Nov 8: India suffered casualty of four security personnel, three soldiers of the Indian Army and a Border Security Force personal, while three terrorists were gunned down in an encounter in Machil sector in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. Two army personnel also suffered injuries and were evacuated, official sources said.
The operation was continuing till late on Sunday evening, the sources said.
A BSF spokesperson said constable Sudip Kumar lost his life during the operation, which began on Saturday night when security personnel stationed at Machil spotted suspicious movement near the Line of Control (LoC) fence.
Army spokesperson Colonel Rajesh Kalia had earlier said one terrorist was killed in the joint operation and they have also recovered an AK assault rifle and two bags. He said the terrorists were first intercepted late on Saturday night after the troops had spotted them trying to infiltrate.
Around 1 am, a BSF patrol noticed suspicious movement around 3.5 km from the LoC, Col Kalia said in a statement. An encounter soon broke out in the area in which one of the terrorists was killed. A BSF soldier was also killed in action. The firing stopped at 4 am. Following this, reinforcements were rushed to the area. Firing resumed at 10.20 am at approximately 1.5 km from the LoC. In the ensuing firefight, two more terrorists were killed. The Indian side also saw three more casualties. Two of the injured soldiers have been evacuated, Col Kalia said.
More security personnel had been rushed to Machil, according to officials.
(Manas Dasgupta)
