Five soldiers killed after terrorists ambush army truck in Kathua

At least five soldiers were killed and five others injured after armed terrorists on Monday afternoon ambushed an army truck in Badnota village in the Kathua district, officials said.

The attack unfolded around 3.30 pm at Badnota village of Loi Malhar in Billawar tehsil around 120 km from Kathua’s district headquarters and shares its border with the Doda district.

“An army truck was ambushed by armed terrorists in Badnota village… The terrorists, believed to be two to

three in numbers, first lobbed a grenade and then resorted to firing from automatic weapons. At least five soldiers were killed and five others injured in the ambush,” a police officer, who declined to be named, said.

After June 9, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his council of ministers took oath, Jammu region was rattled by four back-to-back terror attacks in as many days. The attacks in Reasi, Doda and Kathua districts left nine civilians and a CRPF jawan dead besides 49 others, including seven security personnel, injured.

The security forces had also killed two terrorists in Kathua.

In Monday’s incident, a total of 10 soldiers were hit by the automatic fire. Five of them succumbed, the officer said.

The army has not issued any statement on the attack.

Earlier, a police statement issued read, “Exchange of fire between terrorists and security forces in the Machhedi area of Kathua district… Massive search operation has been launched.”

According to the information, terrorists fled into the nearby forests after attacking the army truck. Additional reinforcements have been rushed to the area and a search operation has been launched to track them down.

There were intermittent exchanges of fire between the security forces and the terrorists till the filing of this report.

The terrorists were believed to have recently infiltrated from across the international border and were moving towards the higher reaches.

Army vehicle was on routine patrol

The army vehicle was on a routine patrol on the Machhedi-Kindli-Malhar road.

The five injured soldiers have been shifted to a military hospital

Notably, a soldier had during the wee hours of Sunday been injured in a suspected terror attack at a sentry post in Galuthi village in Manjakote area of Rajouri district.

The incident took place near 155 territorial army headquarters under the jurisdiction of Patara police station in Manjakote between 3.56 am and 4.26 am. The injured soldier was shifted to 49 Rashtriya Rifles hospital in Manjakote. He was stated to be out of danger.

Jammu and Kashmir has been rattled by a sudden spike in terror attacks.

The death toll in the twin encounters in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir has climbed to eight, including six terrorists, as security forces recovered two more bodies. The twin encounters began on Saturday in two villages of Kulgam district.

On June 26, three terrorists were killed after a gunfight broke out between terrorists and security forces in the Gandoh area of Doda district.

In the back-to-back incidents earlier that month, two terrorists and a CRPF jawan were killed after a gunfight broke out during a search and cordon operation on June 12 and 13.

Earlier on June 11, a joint security picket of the police and army were targeted by terrorists in Chattargala area of Bhaderwah, adjoining Kathua district. Five army personnel and a police officer were injured in the attack.

Terrorists had on June 10 also attacked a police party injuring head constable Fareed Ahmed at Kota Top in Gandoh tehsil of Doda district.

A day before, armed terrorists targeted a bus ferrying pilgrims to Katra from Shiv Khori shrine in Reasi. The attack left nine people dead and 42 others injured.

It may be stated here that Union home minister Amit Shah directed the lieutenant governor-led UT administration and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir to adopt tactics used to contain terrorism in Kashmir in the Jammu region as well.

Shah had issued clear directions to replicate the success achieved in the Kashmir Valley through the zero terror and area dominance plans in the Jammu region with focus on sensitive areas.