In a tragic incident on Monday afternoon, five Army personnel were killed and six others injured when terrorists attacked a military convoy in the remote Machedi area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district. The attack occurred approximately 150 km from Kathua, as Army vehicles were conducting a routine patrol on the Machedi-Kindli-Malhar road.
The terrorists initiated the assault by throwing a grenade and then opening fire on the convoy, which had ten soldiers. Security forces retaliated, but the attackers managed to flee into the nearby forest. Reinforcements were quickly dispatched to the area, and a search operation is currently underway to track down the terrorists. Reports indicate that intermittent firing between the terrorists and security forces continues.
Kashmir Tigers, a shadow terrorist outfit of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), has claimed responsibility for the attack.
This attack marks the second incident targeting the Indian Army in the Jammu region within 48 hours. On Sunday, an Army camp in Rajouri district was attacked, resulting in one soldier being injured.
The killing of Armymen will not go unavenged, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane said, while expressing condolences for their families.
This latest attack follows a series of encounters in Jammu and Kashmir over the weekend. Six terrorists were killed across two separate operations in Kulgam district, which also claimed the lives of two soldiers, including a para-trooper.
The surge in terrorist activities has raised concerns, with security agencies identifying a Pakistan-based operative of the Resistance Front, a unit of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, as being behind the recent spike in attacks.