“The operation is still in progress. The majority of the terrorists have been killed. However, remnants if any, will also be eliminated,” Brig. Gurmeet Singh, the Brigadier General Staff of 15 Corps, told reporters here.
The death toll in the long drawn gunfight in the Shamsbhari forests in the border district of Kupwara has risen to 25, Singh said.
“The area of the encounter is a thick jungle with difficult mountainous terrain. The terrorists were mostly foreign terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit,” the officer added.
“All the martyrs, including Major Mohit Sharma, Sena Medal, and jawan (soldier) Shabir Ahmad Malik, are from 1 Para (SF) Regiment,” he said.
Malik, a Kashmiri soldier, was laid to rest in his native village in north Kashmir’s Ganderbal district. He completed his schooling from the Sainik School, Manasbal, and later joined the army. His village neighbours thronged the graveyard to join his Nimaz-e-Jenaza (funeral prayers) Tuesday.