5 killed in terror attack on Indian Army truck in Poonch
The victims were attached with the army’s Rashtriya Rifles unit and were deployed for counterterrorist operations in the area
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 attached with the army’s Rashtriya Rifles unit and were deployed for counterterrorist operations in the area. Operations were launched to trace the perpetrators, the statement said, adding that there was no clarity yet on the attackers.
“Today, at approximately 1500 hours (3pm), one army vehicle, moving between Bhimber Gali and Poonch in the Rajouri sector, was fired upon by unidentified terrorists while taking advantage of heavy rains and low visibility in the area. The vehicle caught fire, due to likely use of grenades by terrorists,” said a statement by Jammu-based defence spokesperson, Lt Col Devender Anand.
“Another soldier, who was seriously injured was evacuated immediately to the Army Hospital at Rajouri and is under treatment,” he added.
Such attacks on the army rare, if not unprecedented, in recent times. On October 11, 2021, during a counter-insurgency operation five army personnel were killed in Poonch’s Chamrer and three days later, four more soldiers were killed in the district’s Narkhas forest.
On Thursday, the bodies of the soldiers were shifted to a garrison hospital in Rajouri.
People in the intelligence community told HT that the Sangiot area where the army truck was ambushed on Thursday afternoon is a traditional transit route for Pakistan-based terrorists. There were recent inputs of suspected movement of terrorists in the area, one of these people added, asking not to be named.
Army chief General Manoj Pande briefed defence minister Rajnath Singh on the incident, a government statement issued later added.
A local teacher, who asked not to be named, said: “The area has dense forests and natural caves that provide them safe haven. The Jammu-Poonch highway passes through this area spread in around 30 km area from Bhimber Gali to Sangiot and Tota Gali.”
Soon after the incident, the commander of the 13 sector Rashtriya Rifles and police officials rushed to the spot, which is 90km from Poonch.
Locals, who were the first to reach the spot, informed police.
Defence minister Singh offered condolences to the families of the deceased, tweeting that he was “anguished by the tragedy”.
Last year, at least four people were charred to death after a bus carrying pilgrims to the Vaishno Devi shrine caught fire near Katra in Reasi district of Jammu & Kashmir. As many as 22 others were injured. A letter purportedly issued by an unknown terror outfit “Jammu and Kashmir Freedom Fighters” later claimed responsibility for the fire, which it said was an IED blast triggered by one of its “special squads”.
On Thursday, the police suspended traffic movement on from Bhimber Gali to Surankote following the terror attack. “In wake of some incident in Bhatta Dhuriyaan, traffic will remain suspended from BG to Surankote Road. All commuters are advised to adopt the alternative routes, that is, from BG- Mendhar-Jarran Wali Gali to Surankote-Poonch or via KG Top to Poonch,” read a statement issued here.
Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha expressed grief over the killings. “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,” he wrote on Twitter.
Meanwhile, the People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), an offshoot of the Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed responsibility for the attack. Tagging a tweet by defence minister Rajnath Singh, PAFF wrote, “You know very well how the truck “caught” fire. Lightning it sure was, only it didn’t strike from the sky”.
The PAFF also released a video that says, “#PoonchLightningStrikes #PAFF lightning #G20 Welcome”.