Troops Advance To Retrieve Bodies, Terrorists Holed Up In J&K Forest

A new operation to bring back the two bodies from the forest was launched this morning, sources said

Troops of the Indian Army are advancing cautiously towards a forest in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district to bring back the bodies of an officer and a soldier who were killed in action yesterday, sources have said. The task is proving to be tough as the terrorists have hidden deep inside the forest and have fired at the security forces, they said.

With the loss of the officer and the soldier, the army suffered seven casualties this week in the ongoing operation - five soldiers were killed in action when the encounter started on Monday.

The operation to bring back the two bodies from the forest was launched this morning, sources said. "The bodies are being retrieved. It will be competed very soon," said a police officer, who asked not to be named.

The authorities have closed the Poonch-Jammu Highway as a safety measure.