At least five soldiers were killed and one more was injured after terrorists ambushed an army truck on Thursday afternoon in the Rajouri sector in Jammu, the Indian Army said, adding that the attackers took advantage of poor visibility due to heavy rain.
The victims were part of the Rashtriya rifles unit attached to the army and deployed in the area for counter-terrorism operations. Efforts are on-going to track down the perpetrators, said the statement, adding that the identity of the attackers is yet to be ascertained.
Today at around 3 pm, an army vehicle was ambushed by unidentified terrorists crossing the Bhimber Gali-Poonch road in Rajouri sector amid heavy rain and low visibility. The vehicle was caught in flames, likely due to the use of hand grenades by the attackers, said a statement from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The statement further said that one soldier, who sustained critical injuries, was immediately evacuated to Rajouri Army Hospital and is currently receiving treatment.
The attack on the army has been a rare occurrence in recent times, if not an all-time high. On 11 October 2021, five military personnel were martyred in the Chamrer area of Poonch district, followed by four more in the same forest in Narkhas district three days later. The bodies of the deceased soldiers were transported to the garrison hospital of Rajouri on Thursday. Intelligence sources have informed the Hindustan Times that the area of Sangiot, where the truck was intercepted on Thursday afternoon, is a regular transit route for terrorists from Pakistan. There have been recent reports of suspected terrorist movements in the vicinity, one of the sources said, requesting anonymity. Following the incident, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) G. K. Pande informed the Minister of Defence, R. K. Singh, according to a government statement.
A local teacher who did not wish to be named said, “The area is surrounded by dense forest and natural caves that give them a safe haven. The highway connecting Jammu and Poonch passes through the area, which is spread over 30 km from Bhimber Galya to Sangiot Galya and Tota Galya.”
The 13 Sector Rifles commander and police officials reached the spot, located 90 km from Poonch, shortly after the incident.
Locals who reached the spot first informed the police.
Defence Minister Singh expressed his condolences to the families and said he was “deeply saddened by the tragedy.”
Last year, a bus carrying a group of pilgrims to the vaishno Devi shrine near Katra caught fire in Reasi in Jammu & Kashmir, resulting in the death of at least four persons and injuring at least 22 others. A letter issued by an unidentified terror outfit, claiming to be J&K Freedom Fighters, claimed that the fire was caused by an IED blast set off by one of their “special squads.”
SOURCE :- HINDUSTAN TIMES
