Army officials pay tribute to martyred Captain Deepak Sharma in J-K

Srinagar, Mar. 5 (ANI): Army officials on Friday paid tribute to Captain Deepak Sharma, who was martyred on Thursday during an encounter with Hizbul Mujahideen militants in Tral region of Jammu and Kashmir.

"Captain Deepak Sharma killed at least three militants before he died and ensured that none of his colleagues came to any harm," said Lieutenant Colonel J.S. Brar, Public Relation Officer (PRO), Ministry of Defence, J-K.

"The area where the operation took place is a densely populated area and it was very difficult to carry out the operation there, Captain Sharma exhibited good leadership qualities in tackling it," he added.

In all, four militants were killed in the encounter.

Captain Sharma is the second Army officer to be killed in an encounter in Jamu and Kashmir in less than a fortnight.

Last month, Captain Devinder Singh Jass was killed in an encounter in Sopore district.

Insurgents backed by Pakistan have been fighting security forces for the last two decades in the region, where officials say tens of thousands have been killed since 1989. (ANI)