J&K encounter: 3 from Punjab, 1 each from UP, Kerala martyred

JAMMU: A Junior Commissioned Officer was among five soldiers killed on Monday during an encounter between security forces and heavily armed terrorists in Surankote area of Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir.

Acting on an intelligence input, Indian Army launched a cordon and search operation in villages close to Dera ki Gali in the morning. Since then the operation is on with intermittent firing.

Lt Col Devender Anand, Public Relations Officer, Defence, Jammu, said the slain soldiers have been identified as Naib Subedar

Jaswinder Singh

, a resident of district Kapurthala in Punjab; Naik Mandeep Singh of Punjab’s Gurdaspur district;

Sepoy Gajjan Singh

of Punjab’s Ropar district;

Sepoy Saraj Singh

of Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur district and Sepoy Vaisakh H of Kerala’s Kollam district.

“The nation will always remain indebted to them for their supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty,” Col Anand said.