Encounter with Handwara: Colonel, commander among five security personnel martyred in an encounter with terrorists in northern Kashmir | India News

Army officers Col Ashutosh Sharma and Commander Anuj, and Jammu and Kashmir police deputy inspector Shakeel Qazi were among those killed, they said.
Colonel Sharma was leading a team to rescue civilians who had been taken hostage by terrorists hiding in a house in the Chanjmullah area of Handwara in the Kupwara border district of northern Kashmir on Saturday, authorities said .
While the hostages were being rescued, the team, which also consisted of a Lance Naik and a Rifleman, was fired upon, which was effectively fired by security personnel at the outer cordon, they said.
In the early hours of Sunday, security forces launched a major offensive since there had been no contact with the Colonel or his team, officials said.
Two terrorists were killed in the encounter, they said.