An army captain was killed during a gunfight in Jammu’s Doda district on Wednesday.
A militant was also gunned down during the counter-insurgency operation, giving the army its first success in weeks.
The killings come at a time the Jammu and Kashmir administration is busy preparing for Independence Day celebrations amid heightened security.
The army said Captain Deepak Singh laid down his life in the line of duty during an encounter with a group of militants in Doda.
Officials said security forces on Tuesday launched a joint operation from a forest near Patnitop in Udhampur following specific inputs about the presence of militants.
After a brief exchange of fire, the militants are believed to have crossed over to the adjoining Doda, prompting the security forces to extend the ambit of their search.
According to officials, there was a renewed exchange of fire in Doda on Wednesday morning.
During the gunfight, the army initially said an officer was injured while leading the search party and the search for militants was underway.
In an afternoon update, the army said the injured officer, Captain Singh, had succumbed to his wounds.
“One #terrorist has been neutralised in the ongoing operation. One AK 47 has been recovered in addition to the M4 rifle. Intermittent exchange of firing continues as the operations are ongoing,” Jammu-based White Knight Corps posted on X.
On July 15, the army lost a captain and three jawans in the pursuit of militants in Doda.
The militants active in Doda have carried out three major attacks in and around Chenab Valley of which Doda is a part. On July 8, five jawans in the adjoining Kathua district were killed in a militant ambush.
On August 10, the army lost two soldiers in a militant attack at Kokernag in Kashmir.
The fresh army casualty has renewed questions about the resurgence of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.
Former chief minister Omar Abdullah paid tributes to the officer but said it was “highly unfortunate that the situation in some parts of Jammu region has been allowed to deteriorate like this”.
Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said: “The endless cycle of violence and mayhem in Jammu and Kashmir continues to devour the lives of innocents despite tall claims of normalcy by the administration.”
Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday chaired another meeting — attended by army chief General Upendra Dwivedi and national security adviser Ajit Doval — to review the security situation.
Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had chaired a meeting to assess the Jammu and Kashmir security situation in which he reportedly directed the full deployment of armed forces’ counter-terror capabilities.