Two senior army officials, a Colonel and a Major, are among five security personnel killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Handwara area when they went to rescue civilians who had been taken hostage by the terrorists.

Two terrorists were also killed in the encounter at the Chanjmulla area of Handwara, which is part of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, according to officials.

Kashmir Zone Police tweeted, “Encounter has started at Chanjmullah area of Handwara. Police and security forces are on the job. Further details shall follow.”

#Encounter has started at #Chanjmullah area of #Handwara. Police and security forces are on the job. Further details shall follow.@JmuKmrPolice

— Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) May 2, 2020

It further added, “Dangarpora Encounter Update: So far 02 unidentified terrorists killed. Search operation going on.”

#DangarporaEncounterUpdate: So far 02 unidentified #terrorists killed. Search operation going on. Further details shall follow. @JmuKmrPolice https://t.co/sSrvhrGoy5

— Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) May 2, 2020

Armed forces and J-K Police began a joint anti-terrorist operation yesterday and rescued many civilians during the operation, an official statement said.

The statement said, “Based on the intelligence input that terrorists were taking the civilian inmates of a house in Changimulla, Handwara of Kupwara district hostage, a joint operation was launch by Army and JK Police. A team comprising of five Army and JK Police personnel entered the target area occupied by the trts to evacuate the civ (civilians).”

“The team of Army and JK Police entered the the tgt (target) area and successfully extricated the civ. However, during the process, the team was subjected to heavy volume of fire by the terrorists,” statement added.

The five personnel had gone missing during the anti-terrorist operation in  Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday when security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Chanjmulla area of Handwara in the north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Friday following inputs about the presence of terrorists there, a police official said. Contact with them was established on Saturday evening leading to an encounter, the official added.

An army Colonel, who was the commanding officer of the Rashtriya Rifles battalion in Rajwar area of Handwara tehsil, his company commander, a Major, the Colonel’s buddy (soldier guarding the officer) and two policemen including a sub-inspector, who is the incharge of the SOG camp in the area and his guard, a police constable entered a house to eliminate the hiding terrorists on Saturday, according to news agency IANS.