New Delhi: A fourth soldier has died in the ongoing operation at Kokernag of south Kashmir’s Anantnag, 27-year-old Sepoy Pradeep Singh.Reports had noted that Singh’s body had been discovered on the evening of Monday, September 18. A day later, official Indian Army division handles posted on X (formerly Twitter), condoling Singh’s death in the line of duty.General Manoj Pande #COAS and All Ranks of #IndianArmy salute the supreme sacrifice of Sepoy Pardeep Singh who laid down his life in the line of duty while fighting the terrorists during #OpGarol and express heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. https://t.co/FGLnBeICTD— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) September 19, 2023Singh, originally from Patiala in Punjab, was part of the Sikh Light Infantry of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles, Indian Express has reported.He is survived by his wife.Express quoted its sources as having said that, Singh was part of the quick reaction team comprising the most physically fit soldiers of the battalion and was likely to have been hit on the first day itself.This is the sixth day of the ongoing ‘Operation Garol’. A colonel, a major and a deputy superintendent of police were earlier killed in the same operation.Colonel Manpreet Singh was a recipient of the Sena Medal in 2021. Humayun Muzamil Bhat is Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police. Major Aashish Dhonchak belonged to the Army’s 19 Rashtriya Rifles.The Wire has reported how the 28-year-old militant thought to be behind the attack, Uzair Bashir Khan, left home in 2022. Several social media posts suggest that Uzair has joined The Resistance Front (TRF) under the alias ‘Usman Ghazi’. The Wire couldn’t independently confirm these claims.TRF, which officials believe is an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Toiba, has claimed responsibility for what is one of the deadliest attacks in Jammu and Kashmir in terms of the ranks of security officials who lost their lives.
