Two army officers, DSP killed in fierce gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir

Security forces took a major hit in Kashmir on Wednesday when a Commanding Officer and a Major of Indian Army and a police officer were killed during a fierce and ongoing gunfight in south Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday.

After a joint police and army force conducted a counterinsurgency operation at Garol village of Kokernag region in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, a shootout broke out during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday.

According to a spokeswoman for the Chinar Corps of the Indian Army located in Srinagar, the action was carried out as a result of specific intelligence indicating the presence of terrorists in Garol.

Officials informed The Tribune that when the security forces reached the Garol, they came under heavy fire from terrorist positions that had been cleverly hidden within the forest's thick vegetation.

Manpreet Singh, the commanding officer of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles of the Indian Army, was instantly killed during the initial exchange of fire, according to authorities, and Major Ashish Dhonack and Deputy Superintendent of authorities Humayun Bhat both sustained numerous gunshot wounds.

Later, they said that Dhonack and Bhat both passed away from their wounds.

To remove the officers' bodies, security personnel had to send in helicopters.

Humayun Bhat lives in the Tral sub-division of south Kashmir, whereas CO Manpreet Singh comes from the Punjabi area of Ropar. Ghulam Hassan Bhat, the father of Bhat, departed from his position as J&K police deputy inspector general in 2018.

The security forces undertook large-scale operations in Kashmir over the past few years, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of terrorists, driving them into the corners.

However, the militants modified their strategy and moved their camps to the Jammu province's Poonch-Rajouri axis, where they ambushed and killed several army personnel.