Five Army soldiers were killed and five others were injured when terrorists on Monday attacked a military truck with grenades in Billawar region in the Kathua district of the Jammu division.

The injured soldiers were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Reports said that the Army truck came under terror attack in the Badnota village in the Machhedi area of the Lohai Malhar block in Billawar. Terrorists tossed grenades at the Army vehicle and opened fire at it from the hilltop.

The soldiers retaliated and an encounter broke out in the area. A massive search operation has been launched in the jungle area by reinforcements of the Army, CRPF and J&K Police.

Additional DGP (Jammu Range) Anand Jain said, “Exchange of fire between terrorists and security forces is going on in the Machedi area of Kathua district. Massive search operation has been launched after two soldiers were injured in a terrorist attack.”

Officials said five soldiers have been martyred in the incident.

The attack in the district came days after a CRPF jawan was killed and two Pakistani terrorists eliminated in the Hiranagar area of the Kathua district on 12 June.

An Army soldier was injured yesterday in a terrorist attack in the Rajouri district of Jammu and two soldiers lost their lives in the Kulgam encounter. Six terrorists were also neutralised in Kashmir.

Terrorist attacks particularly in the Jammu region have heightened in the past few weeks.

Jammu’s Reasi district was rocked by a terror attack at a pilgrims’ bus on 9 June in which 9 persons were killed and 41 injured. This was followed by twin terror attacks in the Doda district on 11 and 12 June 12.

Six security personnel were injured when terrorists attacked a joint check post at Chattargalla, while a police personnel was injured in a gunfight with terrorists at Kota top in the Gandoh area on 12 June.

On June 26, three terrorists were killed during an encounter with security forces in a forest area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district.

Following the attacks, security forces intensified their anti-terrorist operations and announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh each for four Pakistani terrorists believed to have infiltrated and operated in the district.

Security has also been heightened in Punjab’s Pathankot area neighbouring the Kathua district of Jammu where movement of terrorists was noticed a few days ago. The Punjab government has tightened security for the Amarnath pilgrims passing through Pathankot while travelling to the Kashmir valley.