STATE TIMES NEWS
Poonch: Five soldiers were martyred and two injured when heavily-armed terrorists ambushed two Army vehicles in Poonch district on Thursday, 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 the Surankote police station around 3.45 pm, according to the officials.
The People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), an offshoot of Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the ambush.
Jammu-based defence PRO Lieutenant Colonel Suneel Bartwal said a joint search operation was launched in the general area of Dhera Ki Gali in the Thanamandi-Surankote region of Poonch on Wednesday night on the basis of “hard intelligence” about the presence of terrorists.
As additional forces were moving to the site, the ultras fired upon the Army vehicles — a truck and a Maruti Gypsy. The troops swiftly responded to the attack, the defence spokesperson said.
In the ongoing operation, five soldiers were martyred and two injured, the officials said. The injured have been admitted to a hospital. The operation is in progress and further details are being ascertained, the officials said.
The officials have not ruled out the possibility of the soldiers engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the terrorists during the intense confrontation.
They said there was a possibility that the terrorists had walked away with the arms of the targeted soldiers.
As the operation continues, authorities are diligently working to gather more information and do away with the threat posed by terrorists in the region.
Taking to X to condemn the dastardly ambush of Thursday, Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairman 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,” he said.
Mufti, who heads the People’s 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 Jammu and Kashmir minister Altaf Bukhari said he was distressed to hear about the loss of the brave soldiers.