J&K: Army Colonel, Major, JK Police DSP martyred in Anantnag gunfight

Anantnag : An Indian Army Colonel, who was in command of a Rashtriya Rifles unit, along with a Major and a Deputy Superintendent from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, lost their lives in a confrontation with terrorists in the Kokernag region of Anantnag district in Kashmir on Wednesday.

According to official reports, the commanding officer was leading the 19 RR unit at the time of the incident.

In an official statement, the Indian Army stated, "An Indian Army Colonel, commanding a Rashtriya Rifles Unit, along with a Major, tragically lost their lives in an encounter with terrorists in Kashmir's Anantnag. The commanding officer was in charge of the 19 RR."

Colonel Manpreet Singh, the Commanding Officer of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles, Major Ashish Dhonack, and Deputy Superintendent Humayun Bhat sustained critical injuries during the firefight with terrorists in the Garol area of Anantnag district early Wednesday morning.

Regrettably, the officers succumbed to their injuries while receiving medical treatment.

Humayun Bhat, who was the father of a two-month-old daughter and the son of retired Inspector General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Ghulam Hasan Bhat, passed away due to severe blood loss, sources added.

The banned Resistance Front, suspected to be an offshoot of the proscribed terror organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Officials believe that these are the same terrorists responsible for the August 4 attack on army personnel, which resulted in the deaths of three soldiers in the Halan forest area of Kulgam district.

The operation against the terrorists initially commenced on Tuesday evening in the Garol area but was temporarily halted during the night. It resumed this morning after receiving intelligence that the terrorists had been spotted at a hideout, according to officials.