J&K: Army jawan killed in encounter

An army jawan was killed in an encounter on Monday with militants in Handwara in north Kashmir. The jawan was killed when militants attacked a patrol party of 30 Rashtriya Rifles in the Waderbala area.

An army jawan was killed in an encounter on Monday with militants in Handwara in north Kashmir.

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The jawan was killed when militants attacked a patrol party of 30 Rashtriya Rifles in the Waderbala area.

According to police officials, the army unit was moved into the area, late last night, based on intelligence inputs about the presence of 5-6 Lashkar-e-Toiba militants in the area.

A senior police official said that the firing started when army had a brief contact with a group of militants in Waderbala resulting in the injury to an army personal.

The militants however managed to flee using darkness to their advantage.

A massive manhunt has been launched in the area by soldiers from 22 Rashtriya Rifles with assistance from the state police.