Rajouri (Jammu and Kashmir), Dec 29 (ANI) : A soldier was injured when an army patrol was ambushed by a group of militants here on Tuesday.

A column of the 16 Rashtriya Rifles came under gunfire while passing through a thick forest in Rajouri and Poonch districts.

The army personnel retaliated the fire, forcing the militants to flee.The army later launched a massive combing operation.

Deputy Inspector General of Rajouri and Poonch range S.D. Singh said : “There was an army patrol which was fired upon from two sides in the Dera street. A thick forest on both the sides surrounds that spot and there was simultaneous firing from both the sides.

“Army, very effectively, retaliated and immediately after the firing, a search operation was launched. One soldier has retained minor injuries and after army’s effective firing, they stopped firing and during the cordon they ran away,” he added.

The army contingent was on its way back to their base after a routine patrolling.

The militants had taken positions atop a hill and when the troops came near they opened fire on them with automatic rifles.

A total of 50 rounds were fired by an estimated four to six militants, out of which 30 empty cartridges were recovered from the spot.

On Saturday security personnel arrested two aides of banned groups, Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba, from Rajouri district. (ANI)