Srinagar: The Army on Thursday paid tributes to three jawans who laid down their lives during an encounter in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir.


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General Officer Commanding (GoC) of Chinar Corps Lt Gen AK Bhatt led all ranks in paying homage to the slain soldiers on behalf of the nation.


"Army paid befitting tributes to three of its comrades who attained martyrdom during counter-terrorist operations on Wednesday in Kupwara district in which five militants were eliminated," the official said, as per PTI.


Havildar Jorabar Singh, Naik Ranjeet Khalkho and Naik Mohammad Ashraf Rather sustained bullet injuries during the operation in Halmatpora area of Kupwara district.


The Army also tweeted:



The mortal remains of the martyrs were flown for last rites to their native places.


Singh (45) had joined Army in 1993 and hailed from village Rait in Kangra area of Himachal Pradesh. He is survived by his wife and three children. Khalkho (33) hailed from village Dudhakhuti in Ranchi (Jharkhand) had joined Army in 2001. He is survived by his parents, a brother and three sisters.


Rather (35) had joined the Army in 2004 and belonged to village Reshigund of Kralpora in J&K. He is survived by his wife and a daughter.


The nearly 48-hour gunbattle in the dense Kupwara forest in north Kashmir had ended on Wednesday night, with five security personnel, including three Army jawans and two policemen, martyred and an equal number of militants killed.


The encounter had broken out in the Halmatpora area, at least 8 kms from the Line of Control (LoC), after a police party intercepted a group of militants.


A joint team of the Kupwara police along with companies of the Army, the Territorial Army (TA) and the CRPF were part of the operations.


(With Agency inputs)