Poonch: Five soldiers of the Indian Army were martyred and two others were injured when heavily-armed terrorists ambushed two Army vehicles in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Friday morning.
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According to sources, the incident took place around 8 am near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Balakote sector of Poonch. The terrorists, who are suspected to have infiltrated from across the border, opened fire at the vehicles that were carrying soldiers of the 16 Rashtriya Rifles.
The soldiers retaliated and engaged the terrorists in a fierce gunfight, but five of them succumbed to their injuries. The injured soldiers were evacuated to a nearby hospital for treatment. The condition of one of them is said to be critical.
The Army has launched a massive search operation to track down the terrorists, who are believed to have escaped into the dense forest area. The security forces have also cordoned off the area and intensified the vigil along the LoC.
The Poonch district, which lies in the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, is bounded by the LoC on three sides. It is one of the most volatile and sensitive regions in the disputed Kashmir region, where cross-border firing and infiltration attempts are frequent. ¹
The attack comes amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue, which has been a flashpoint of conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours for decades. Both countries claim the entire region, but administer it in parts.
The Indian government has accused Pakistan of supporting and sponsoring terrorism in Kashmir, a charge that Pakistan denies. Pakistan, on the other hand, has condemned the Indian government's decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, and called for a plebiscite to determine the fate of the region.
The attack also coincides with the visit of a 24-member delegation of foreign envoys to Jammu and Kashmir, which is aimed at showcasing the development and security situation in the union territory. The delegation, which includes representatives from France, Malaysia, Brazil, Italy, Bangladesh, and Finland, among others, arrived in Srinagar on Wednesday and is scheduled to visit Jammu on Friday. ²
The attack has drawn widespread condemnation from various quarters, including political parties, civil society groups, and human rights activists. They have expressed their solidarity with the families of the martyred soldiers and demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice.
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, has also paid tribute to the fallen soldiers and said that their sacrifice will not go in vain. He said that the nation stands united against terrorism and will continue to fight it with determination. ³
