Lance Naik dies, security toll reaches 5 in Rajouri operation

In the ongoing anti-terrorism operation in J&K’s Rajouri district, a Lance Naik from 9 Para (Special Forces) died, bringing the total security casualties to five. The operation led to the killing of two terrorists, including a high-ranking Pakistani commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The fallen soldiers are Captain MV Pranjal, Captain Shubham Gupta, Havildar Abdul Majid, Lance Naik Sanjay Bisht, and paratrooper Sachin Laur. The two frontier districts of Rajouri and Poonch in the Jammu region were declared terrorism-free more than a decade ago, but have recorded 35 fatalities since October 2021.