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| 4 soldiers martyred, 3 injured in Poonch terror attack | | | 
Early Times Report
Poonch/Jammu, Dec 21: Four soldiers were martyred and three injured when heavily armed terrorists ambushed two Army vehicles in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, officials said.
The bodies of two of the slain soldiers were mutilated, the officials said.
The vehicles, carrying the personnel to the site of a cordon-and-search operation, came under attack at a blind curve at Dhatyar Morh between Dhera Ki Gali and Bufliaz under the jurisdiction of Surankote police station around 3.45 pm, according to officials.
Two former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir – Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mehbooba Mufti – strongly condemned the attack.
The People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the ambush.
Jammu-based defence PRO Lt Col Suneel Bartwal said a joint search operation was launched in the general area of Dhera Ki Gali in the Thanamandi-Surankote region of Poonch district Wednesday night based on “hard intelligence” about the presence of terrorists.
As additional forces were moving to the site, the terrorists fired upon the Army vehicles -- a truck and a Gypsy.
The troops swiftly responded to the attack, the defence spokesperson said.
In the ongoing operation, four soldiers were martyred and three injured, the officials said.
The injured were admitted to a hospital.
The operation is in progress and further details are being ascertained, they added.
Disturbing images and videos emerging from the site showed blood on the street, broken helmets of soldiers and shattered windscreens of the two Army vehicles.
The officials have not ruled out the possibility of the soldiers engaging in hand-to-hand combat with terrorists during the intense confrontation.
The officials said there was a possibility that terrorists had walked away with arms of the targeted soldiers.
As the operation continues, authorities are diligently working to gather more information and bring an end to the threat posed by terrorists in the region.
The ambush came weeks after a major gunfight in the Dharmsal belt of Bajimaal forest area in nearby Rajouri district that had left five Army personnel, including two captains, dead last month.
A top commander of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) Quari, who masterminded several attacks, including the killing of 10 civilians and five Army personnel, and his accomplice were killed in the two-day-long encounter in November.
The stretch between Dhera Ki Gali and Bufliaz on the boundary of Rajouri and Poonch districts is densely forested and leads to Chamrer forest and then Bhata Dhurian forest, where five soldiers were martyred in an ambush on an Army vehicle on April 20 this year.
In May, five more Army personnel were martyred and a major-rank officer was injured in Chamrer forest during an anti-terrorist operation. A foreign terrorist was also killed in the operation.
This year, Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi districts witnessed a series of encounters that left 54 persons, including 19 security personnel and 28 terrorists, dead so far, the officials said, ascribing the uptick in violence to “desperate attempts from across the border” to revive terrorism in the region.
While 31 persons, including 10 terrorists killed and 14 security personnel, were martyred in Rajouri, 15 terrorists killed and five security personnel were martyred in Poonch district. Three terrorists were killed in Reasi district.
Most of the terrorists were killed while attempting to sneak into this side of the border, the officials said.
Earlier in October 2021, nine soldiers were martyred in two separate attacks by terrorists in the forested region. While five Army personnel, including a junior commissioned officer (JCO), were martyred on October 11 in Chamrer, a JCO and three soldiers were martyred on October 14 in a nearby forest.
Taking to X to condemn the dastardly ambush of Thursday, Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairman and former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad termed 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,” Azad said.
Mehbooba Mufti, who heads the Peoples 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.
Apni Party president and former minister Altaf Bukhari said he was distressed to hear about the loss of four brave soldiers and injuries to three others in the terrorist attack.
“May the departed souls be blessed with peace and the injured personnel see a swift recovery. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and at the same time urge the authorities to take enough measures to ensure long lasting peace in Jammu and Kashmir,” he posted on X. |
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