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7 LeT terrorists used rocket-propelled grenades on army soldiers in Poonch

The jihadists were hiding in the jungles of the Poonch area and waiting for an ambush on a convoy.

Updated on: Apr 21, 2023, 11:26:12 IST
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Prime facie investigation into the Poonch terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday that led to the death of five Rashtriya Rifles jawans and left one injured revealed that the role of no less than seven Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group. This is the fourth incident involving Indian Army casualties in the Poonch-Rajouri area.

Armed security personnel walk at a site of an attack inspecting charred army vehicle after terrorists opened fire at an Indian army vehicle in Poonch. (REUTERS)
Armed security personnel walk at a site of an attack inspecting charred army vehicle after terrorists opened fire at an Indian army vehicle in Poonch. (REUTERS)

The area where the incident took place is 7 km from Bhimber Gali in the Line of Control (LoC), and a thickly-forested within the Indian side of the LoC. There were intelligent inputs to confirm the presence of Pakistan-based terrorists in the area. The jihadists were hiding in the jungles and waiting for an ambush on a convoy.

Watch: 'Can Target G20 Venues In J&K': Pak-backed terror group PAFF owns Poonch attack | Details

According to inputs from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the terrorists used rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles against the RR jawans travelling in the truck.

It's still not clear whether the truck got fire through the direct RPG hit or was set on fire by terrorists after the gunning down the Indian troopers.

While Nagrota-based 16 Core has launched a massive manhunt for the terrorists in the sector, the incident has direct links to Pakistan's opposition to the G20 event in Srinagar in May. Over the past month, the Pakistan government has asked G20 members, particularly its 'iron-brother' China, to boycott the event.

“The incident has been deliberately planned by the Pakistani-deep state to instigate violence in Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh. and deliberately spread fear among the delegate attending the G20 event,” said a senior J&K official.

  • Shishir Gupta
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Shishir Gupta

    Author of Indian Mujahideen: The Enemy Within (2011, Hachette) and Himalayan Face-off: Chinese Assertion and Indian Riposte (2014, Hachette). Awarded K Subrahmanyam Prize for Strategic Studies in 2015 by Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) and the 2011 Ben Gurion Prize by Israel.Read More

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