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Poonch terror attack: Slain soldier Mandeep Singh sole breadwinner of family
At least five soldiers were killed and another injured after armed terrorists ambushed an army truck on Thursday.
Havildar Mandeep Singh - one of the five Army soldiers who were killed in the terror attack on a truck in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch sector - was a veteran of nearly two decades service in the armed forces and the sole breadwinner of his family.
Read here: Drones, bomb squad, NIA in Poonch after terror attack on Army truck: What we know
Singh was assigned to the Army's Rashtriya Rifles unit and had been deployed in Poonch for counterterrorist operations. He was last home in March - on leave for a month. He is survived by his mother, wife and two children. His body is expected to reach his hometown of Punjab's Ludhiana later this evening and the funeral is scheduled for Saturday.
"I came to know about the incident at around 7 pm... that Mandeep Singh lost his life. My nephew died due to bullet injury," his uncle told news agency ANI in a heartbreaking video.
Hunt launched for terrorists
A massive manhunt is ongoing to capture the terrorists. Reports say the Army and other security agencies have joined hands and are combing the forests of the Bata-Doriya area.
The terrorists attacked the military truck as it travelled from from Bhimber Gali to Sangiot.
Intel gathered so far suggests the attack - which also left one soldier injured - involved seven terrorists from the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group. They were believed to have been hiding in nearby jungles and waiting for an opportune time to ambush the convoy.
According to local police sources, rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles were used.
Read here: 5 soldiers killed, one injured as terrorists ambush army truck in Poonch
This is the fourth incident involving Army casualties in the Poonch-Rajouri area.
Who were the five soldiers killed?
Apart from Mandeep Singh, the soldiers who died for their country have been identified as Debashish Baswal and Kulwant Singh (both holding Lance Naik rank), and Harkrishan Singh and Sewak Singh (both holding Sepoy rank).
Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande and all of the nation's soldiers have saluted their sacrifice, and offered unconditional support to the families of the fallen.
