The Army has recovered the bodies of a jawan and a junior commissioned officer (JCO), who went missing after a fierce gun battle with terrorists on Thursday evening in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch area.

The number of army casualties suffered during the ongoing counter terrorist operation has now risen to nine, which is the highest in a single encounter in recent times in Jammu and Kashmir.

The bodies were recovered 48 hours after the Army launched a major combing operation in the area in the dense forest where the terrorists were suspected to be hiding.

Two jawans,  Yogambar Singh and Vikram Singh Negi, were killed in the encounter that erupted in Poonch-Rajouri forests, four days after five army personnel were killed in action in the same area.

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The Army lost contact with the JCO on Thursday evening, an officer said.

A major offensive was launched this morning in Nar Khas forest area in Mendhar. Heavy firing and explosions were heard in the area as the Army tried to flush out terrorists believed to be hiding deep in the forests.

The Army had launched a combing operation in Dera Ki Gali on Monday after receiving information about the presence of terrorists there. In the initial encounter, five soldiers including a junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) were killed.