Srinagar: An Army Colonel, hailing from
Delhi, was killed in an encounter with terrorists while
carrying out counter-insurgency operations in Kuligam area in
Kupwara district in Kashmir.
Colonel Neeraj Sood was the commanding officer of the
18 Rashtriya Rifles battalion there.
The unit had laid two ambushes in the area in early
hours of last night and one of them made contact with
militants, an Army statement said.
"On getting information about the encounter, Col Sood,
along with his Quick Reaction Team, being the closest, at the
Company Operating Base, rushed to the site. In the ensuing
firefight, the officer sustained a gun shot wound on his head
and succumbed to his injuries," it said.
Army was continuing its operations through the day in
the area, they said. Additional forces have been rushed to the
spot.
Col Sood, a resident of Delhi, was commissioned into 8
Rajputana Rifles in December 1992, and is an alumni of the National
Defence Academy.
The officer had extensive experience in counter-
insurgency operations and also served as an instructor at the
Army’s prestigious Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare
School at Variengte.
The officer is survived by his wife, Priti -- a house
wife and an eleven year old daughter, Mishika, who is studying
in class five.
PTI
