An Indian Army captain was killed in an ongoing action in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district on Wednesday, defence officials said. Captain Deepak Singh was a part of the 48 Rashtriya Rifles.
The operations -- Op Assar -- is still underway.
A civilian was also injured in the cross-fire that took place a day ahead of Independence Day, in what was the latest encounter in a series of such incidents in the Jammu region.
In the ongoing action, four militants are also believed to be killed, officials added. The encounter broke out in a thickly forested area during a cordon and search (CASO), jointly launched by forces to track down a group of foreign terrorists hiding in the Shivgarh-Assar belt.
Officials said that four blood-soaked rucksacks were recovered from the site of the gunfight, adding that M-4 carbines were also found. "The terrorists are holed up in a riverine in Assar," an official said.
The young captain was critically injured and shifted to a military hospital where he breathed his last, they said.
They said that the terrorists crossed into Doda from a forest near Patnitop, adjacent to Udhampur district after a brief exchange of fire between them and the security forces.
Officials said that the security forces established contact with the terrorists around 6 pm on Tuesday in Udhampur. The encounter began half an hour later and continued until both sides paused.
Though the cordon was established overnight, the search operation was resumed at daylight and around 7:30 am, there was a renewed exchange for fire, officials added.
The incident comes just days after two soldiers were killed and six others -- including two civilians -- were injured in a clash that took place between militants and security forces in the Anantnag district.
The encounter began after security forces initiated a cordon and search operation in the Ahlan Gagarmandu area of Kokernag, responding to reports of "terrorist" activity in the region.
In the gunfight, six Army personnel and two civilians were injured, officials said, adding the injured soldiers were promptly taken to a nearby hospital where two died shortly after arrival.
Another encounter took place in Anantnag early on Sunday near Machail Mata Shrine, where several pilgrims were visiting as part of an yatra. Officials said that no casualty was reported in this instance.
