In a harrowing turn of events, four Indian Army soldiers, including an officer, lost their lives in a fierce gunfight with terrorists in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Around 7.45 p.m., the Rashtriya Rifles and the J&K Police Special Operations Group conducted a joint cordon and search operation at Dhari Gote Urarbagi in the Desa forest area, which sparked the encounter.

According to the officials, the initial firefight with the terrorists lasted more than 20 minutes and injured four Army men, including the officer, and one police personnel. One of the four Indian Army soldiers shot in the gunfight was Major Brijesh Thappa of 10 RR, who was just promoted.

The injured army officials were admitted to hospitals, where their conditions were declared critical. Later, they all succumbed to their injuries.