An army vehicle catches fire after ambush by militants in the Bhatadurain area of Mendhar in Poonch district, Thursday – PTI Photo
Jammu- Five Army personnel were killed and another was seriously injured on Thursday after their vehicle caught fire following a militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch, the Army said.
The deceased Army soldiers were from a Rashtriya Rifles unit deployed for counterterror operations, it said in a statement.
Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande has briefed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the incident.
“Anguished by the tragedy in Poonch District (J&K), where the Indian Army has lost its brave soldiers after a truck caught fire. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families,” the defence minister tweeted.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha also expressed grief over the loss of lives of soldiers.
“I am deeply anguished by the loss of lives of brave Army personnel in a tragic incident at Poonch. Their rich service to the nation will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with the bereaved families,” Sinha posted on his official Twitter handle.
The Army said the vehicle the soldiers were travelling in came under fire from unidentified terrorists and it caught fire because of likely use of grenades.
“Today, at approximately 1500 hours, one Army vehicle, moving between Bhimber Gali and Poonch in the Rajauri sector was fired on by unidentified terrorists, taking advantage of heavy rains and low visibility in the area,” the Army said.
“The vehicle caught fire, due to likely use of grenades by terrorists,” it said.
Five personnel of the Rashtriya Rifles Unit deployed for counterterrorist operations in this area have unfortunately lost their lives in the incident, it said.
The Army said another soldier was seriously injured and he was evacuated immediately to the Army hospital at Rajouri.
The Army said operations are underway to catch the perpetrators.
In an initial statement, the Army said the five personnel were killed after their vehicle caught fire, adding further details are being ascertained.
Visuals showed semi-burnt bodies of the soldiers lying on the road beside the burning truck. It was not immediately clear how many soldiers were there in the vehicle when it caught fire.
Local people and some army personnel were seen extinguishing the fire.
Army and police rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area and put halt on the vehicular traffic on the highway, the sources said.
Pertinently, the audacious broad daylight attack comes a week after Home Minister, Amit Shah chaired a high level meeting in New Delhi and reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, including the Line of Control and International Border.
In the meeting that was attended by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, J&K Director General of Police Dilbag Singh, Shah had also reviewed the preparation of G-20 Meeting which is scheduled to be held in Srinagar in May, 2023 and asked all agencies to work in a coordinated manner for successful conduct of the event.
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