Terrorists killed Indian Army Colonel

Srinagar: The Indian Army lost a Colonel in an encounter with terrorists in the Pattan area of Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.

Two soldiers were also injured in the gunbattle with the terrorists believed to be belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba.

Colonel G S Sarna was the commanding officer of the 29 Rashtriya Rifles and was leading a search operation about 28 kms from Srinagar when the group of terrorists hiding in the area opened fire injuring the officer.

He was hit by two bullets in the abdomen and taken to the Army Base Hospital in Srinagar where doctors declared him dead.

The army cordoned off the area where the encounter took place and launched a massive operation to flush out the terrorists.

Security agencies suspect there are two to three militants including a self-styled district commander of the LeT holed up in an underground bunker.