Four soldiers were killed and three others were seriously injured on Thursday afternoon when terrorists ambushed two Army vehicles in the Rajouri district of Jammu division. Security forces have trapped the terrorists and an encounter was underway.
Confirming the incident, Defence spokesman Lt. Colonel Suneel Bartwal said: “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 terrorist. The fire was immediately retaliated upon by our own troops.”
Three soldiers died on the spot and another succumbed while being shifted to hospital.
Two of the killed soldiers were of 89 Armd Regiment, one of 15 GARH Rifles and the driver of ASC. The two injured soldiers are of 88 Armd Regiment and one of Signals.
An operation was being conducted in the general area Dera ki Gali (DKG), Thanamandi, Rajouri, since the night of 20 December.
Operations are in progress. Further details are being ascertained, he added.
Reports said that the Army Vehicle of 48 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) ‘C Company’ was fired upon in an ambush by terrorists near the Dhatyar Morh between DKG and Bafliaz.
Ambulances, troops of 48RR and 43RR have rushed to the encounter spot. Public movement on the strategic road has been restricted.
The Army vehicle was carrying jawans from Bufliaz, where a cordon-and-search operation against terrorists has been underway since Wednesday.
Lt Colonel Bartwal said that “based on hard intelligence, a joint operation was launched in general area DKG last night, contact has been established today evening and an encounter is in progress.”
In a related incident, terrorists had on Wednesday tossed an explosive at the 6th Battalion J&K Armed Police camp in Surankot (Poonch) resulting in damage to vehicles parked in the complex.
A joint team of the Army, paramilitary forces and police launched a joint operation but the terrorists managed to escape. The same terrorist group is now believed to have been trapped by the security forces.