In a big development, District Commander of terror group Hizbul Mujahideen, Harun Hafaz has been gunned down by security forces during an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda. An Indian Army official informed about the killing of a Hizbul commander. Further details are awaited. 

Amid continuous and unending efforts by the Indian Army to protest country's borders, Army Chief General MM Naravane on Tuesday exhorted soldiers deployed along borders with China, Pakistan and those fighting the "proxy war" in Kashmir to remain vigilant round-the-clock, and assured that their operational and logistical needs will be met at any cost.

In a message to the 1.3-million-strong force on the eve of Army Day, he said the Indian Army has carved out a "special niche" in the nation's mind space and that it is not merely a combat outfit or an instrument of national power.

"It is also a valued institution of the country. We remain steadfast in our resolve to uphold our values, ethos and the trust reposed in us by our citizenry," Naravane said.

The Army Chief called the decision of the government to create a Department of Military Affairs under a Chief of Defence Staff as a "seminal step" to facilitate greater integration among the three services.

Agencies