Kharge expresses grief over death of 5 soldiers in Rajouri encounter

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday expressed pain at the martyrdom of five army personnel during an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir and said the country stands united against terrorism.

"Extremely pained by the martyrdom of five army personnel including two captains and three jawans who have made the supreme sacrifice fighting terrorists in Rajouri area of Jammu and Kashmir," he said in a post on X.

Five army personnel, including two captains, were killed in the operation against the terrorists in the Bajimaal area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Wednesday.

Those killed in the operation are Captain M V Pranjal of Karnataka's Mangalore area, Captain Shubham Gupta of Uttar Pradesh's Agra, Havaldar Abdul Majid of Ajote in Jammu and Kahsmir's Poonch, Lance Naik Sanjay Bist of Uttarakhand's Halli Padli area and Paratrooper Sachin Laur of Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh.

Kharge lauded the bravery of the soldiers for displaying indomitable courage and valour in fighting terrorists.

“In this hour of grief, our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones. India stands united and strong against terrorism,' the party chief said.

Two terrorists, including a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander trained in Afghanistan, were killed in a 36-hour-long gunfight with security forces on Wednesday and Thursday.