Last Updated: April 21, 2023, 09:19 AM IST
Poonch: An army vehicle in flames after a terror attack in Mendhar in Poonch district, Thursday, April 20, 2023. (Image: PTI)
The Army said the vehicle the soldiers were travelling in came under fire from unidentified terrorists and it caught fire because of the likely use of grenades
After five Indian Army personnel were killed in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Thursday, a massive search operation has been launched by security forces to nab the terrorists behind the attack. According to reports, dense forests are becoming a struggle to carry out the manhunt. The wreath-laying ceremony of the army personnel will take place in Rajouri at around 10 am on Friday.
Apart from an attempt to get hold of the terrorists, the massive operation will also try to look for workers on the ground, who could have provided supplies and helped the terrorists with knowledge about the topography of the place.
One Army person was critically injured and is undergoing treatment. The entire area has been cordoned off while drones and sniffer dogs are being used to sniff out the terrorists that might be hiding in the area, a PTI report said.
The soldiers who were impacted during the attack, were from a Rashtriya Rifles unit deployed for counter-terror operations. BDS and FSL teams are on the spot where the terror attack had taken place. According to officials, an NIA team will visit the site of the terror attack for inspection.
Officials said that a high alert has been sounded in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch amid close vigil along the Line of Control. Traffic on the Bhimber Gali-Poonch road was stopped following the incident and people have been advised to go to Poonch via Mendhar, they said.
The Army said the vehicle the soldiers were travelling in came under fire from unidentified terrorists and it caught fire because of the likely use of grenades.
“Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande and all ranks of Indian Army salute the supreme sacrifice of five Indian Army bravehearts, Hav Mandeep Singh, L/Nk Debashish Baswal, L/Nk Kulwant Singh, Sep Harkrishan Singh and Sep Sewak Singh who laid down their lives in the line of duty at Poonch Sector yesterday,” the Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI) said in a tweet.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said he was anguished at the loss of lives of the brave soldiers. “Their rich service to the nation will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with the bereaved families,” he said in a tweet.
Political parties have condemned the attack. On Thursday evening, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal staged a protest on the Tawi bridge in Jammu city and raised anti-Pakistan slogans.
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