Jammu and Kashmir, India, July 16 (HBTV): Four Indian soldiers including an officer who were critically injured in a gunfight with heavily-armed terrorists succumbed to injuries in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir early Tuesday.    

The encounter unfolded during a joint operation by the Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group of J&K Police in the Desa forest belt. The troops engaged in a firefight with the terrorists at Dhari Gote Urarbagi.      

Following a brief exchange of fire, the terrorists attempted to flee but were pursued by the soldiers, leading to another confrontation late in the evening. Five soldiers sustained critical injuries, with four of them, including the officer, losing their lives.

Additional troops were moved in to tighten the cordon, according to officials. Approximately two-three terrorists were hiding in the area.        

Meanwhile, a group called the Kashmir Tigers, a shadow group of the Pakistan-backed and based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) has taken responsibility for the attack. 

The terror outfit said in a statement that the clash and gunfire took place when the security forces launched a search operation for the 'Mujahideen.' Kashmir Tigers is also the same group that claimed responsibility for the attack on an army convoy in Kathua on July 9. 

J&K Police recovered old arms and ammunition from a terrorist hideout in the Reasi district. The arms and ammunition recovered include 30 rounds of AK-47, one magazine of AK-47 rifle, and one HE-36 hand grenade.  

This was the second major encounter in the Jammu region after five soldiers were killed in action in Kathua the previous week. The attack, during which five soldiers were injured, was a coordinated strike on two trucks carrying at least 12 troops.