The death toll in Thursday's ambush on two Army vehicles in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district reached five. The incident happened amidst an anti-terrorist operation in the Dera Ki Gali (DKG) area of Thanamandi.
The fallen soldiers have been identified as Naik Birendra Singh, Naik Driver Karan Kumar, Rifleman Chandan Kumar, and Rifleman Gautam Kumar. The identity of the fifth martyr couldn't be immediately ascertained.
Two other soldiers were injured and were swiftly evacuated to hospitals, with some airlifted to the Command Hospital Udhampur for treatment. The bodies of the slain soldiers were mutilated, Army officials said.
The attack happened on Thursday around 3:45 pm when two Army vehicles carrying troops to the operation site were ambushed by terrorists in DKG. The Army vehicles were carrying soldiers to the site of a cordon-and-search operation. "An operation was being conducted in the general area DKG (Dera ki Gali), Thanamandi, Rajouri, since the night of 20 December 23. At approximately 3:45 PM on 21 December, two Army vehicles carrying troops were moving to the operational site, which were fired upon by the terrorists. The fire was immediately retaliated upon by own troops," the Army said in a statement.
Jammu-based defence PRO Lieutenant Colonel Suneel Bartwal said the joint search operation was launched based on "hard intelligence" about the presence of terrorists. As additional forces were moving to the site, the ultras fired upon the Army vehicles -- a truck and a Maruti Gypsy.
The terrorists, estimated to number between three and four, positioned themselves atop a hill, targeting Army vehicles navigating a blind curve and rough terrain. They seemed to have conducted reconnaissance of the area before choosing a location surrounded by mountains and difficult road conditions. A civilian dumper was also caught in the crossfire but no one was injured.
#WATCH | Visuals from the spot where two military vehicles were attacked by terrorists in the Thanamandi area of Rajouri sector in Jammu division
— ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2023
Four Army personnel lost their lives while three others were injured in the incident pic.twitter.com/B5WtuI5Hwf
The modus operandi of the attack closely resembled the Bhatta Durrian attack in Mendhar on April 20 this year, where five soldiers lost their lives. The terrorists had managed to escape then. Similar to the Bhatta Durrian attack, the terrorists initially targeted the vehicles' tires and drivers before firing on the troops, aiming for maximum casualties. However, alert troops' retaliation led to the terrorists fleeing the scene.
The area had minimal civilian presence, delaying additional security force support from reaching the encounter site.
Despite cordoning off the area, initial reports suggest the terrorists managed to evade capture, prompting an active pursuit with additional troops rushing to the spot. A joint operation by the Army, paramilitary forces, and police has been initiated to locate and neutralise the terrorists involved in the gun battle, estimated to be between three and four in number. Investigators are considering the possibility of the attackers using local support for identifying routes, troop movements and for retreating into forests or hideouts post-encounter.
To aid search operations, the Dera Ki Gali road has been closed to traffic. The officials have also not ruled out the possibility of the soldiers engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the terrorists during the intense confrontation.
Images from the site showed blood on the street, broken helmets of soldiers and shattered windscreens of the two Army vehicles. Army officials said the operation was progressing late into the night. They said the terrorists could have walked away with the arms of the targeted soldiers.
The People's Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), an offshoot of Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the ambush.
The attack marks the fourth such loss in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch this year, resulting in the sacrifice of 20 soldiers, including two Army Captains.
The stretch between Dera Ki Gali and Bufliaz, straddling the Rajouri and Poonch districts, is heavily forested and the previous ambushes were carried out at the Chamrer forest and then Bhata Dhurian forest.
Over 20 years ago, Principal District and Sessions Judge V K Phull and three others were killed in a similar area by terrorists. This year has seen a series of major terror attacks in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, resulting in the martyrdom of 20 soldiers, including two captains, across various incidents.
Mehbooba Mufti, Azad
condemn the attack
Two former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir -- Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mehbooba Mufti -- strongly condemned the attack. Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairman Azad took to X to term the incident "devastating" and said the casualties are deeply saddening. "... terrorism hitting Jammu is alarming and we stand united against this menace. Urging the government to take swift and decisive action for the safety of all citizens. Praying for the swift recovery of the injured," he said.
Mufti, who heads the People's Democratic Party (PDP), described the incident as "terrible". She condemned the "dastardly attack" and expressed her deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the slain soldiers.
(With inputs from Tariq Bhat)
