An Indian Army officer and a soldier were killed in a gunfight with suspected militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Thursday, Greater Kashmir reported.

The gunfight took place during a counter-terrorism operation in the district’s Mendhar sub-division, the Ministry of Defence’s Public Relations Unit said, according PTI.

“There has been exchange of fire between Army troops and terrorists during evening hours on Thursday,” an unidentified Army spokesperson was quoted as saying by The Hindu. “During the ensuing exchange of fire, one JCO [junior commissioned officer] and one soldier, have been critically injured.”

The Army official and soldier were rescued but succumbed to their injuries, unidentified officials told Greater Kashmir.

The same group of militants had fired on members of the security forces on Sunday, according to NDTV. Five soldiers of the Indian Army had been killed the gunfight that took place in Dehra ki Gali in Poonch district’s Surankote area.

The Army had been pursuing the militants since four days, the news channel reported.

Meanwhile, the Jammu-Poonch-Rajouri highway was closed because of the counter-terrorism operation.