Poonch Terror Attack: Five Soldiers Dead, Anti-Militancy Operation Continues
Five Indian Army soldiers have been killed and three others injured in a terror attack in Poonch district, Jammu and Kashmir, on Thursday. The attack took place at around 3:45 pm during an ongoing anti-militancy operation in the Surankote tehsil, which began on Wednesday evening.
The Soldiers Who Were Killed:
- Naik Birendra Singh
- Naik Karan Kumar
- Rifleman Chandan Kumar
- Rifleman Gautam Kumar
The Soldiers Who Were Injured:
- Sundeep Kumar
- Shyam Sundar Das
- Todmal Dnyaneshwar Bhaskarrav (one of whom is also believed to have succumbed to injuries)
The soldiers were ambushed on a road between Dera-Ki-Gali (DKG) and Buffliaz areas in Surankote tehsil, which has seen a spike in militant activity in recent years. A video of the attack shows the targeted army gypsy with its windows shattered and tires deflated, with blood smears on the road.
The attackers also managed to escape with some of the soldiers' rifles. Additional reinforcements have been sent to the area to search for the attackers and an encounter is ongoing.
Militancy on the Rise in Jammu:
This attack comes less than a month after two army officers and two soldiers were killed in a brutal attack in the adjoining Rajouri district. While militancy-related violence has decreased in the Kashmir Valley, it seems to be shifting towards Jammu, which was previously a militancy-free region.
The Pir Panjal region, which includes Rajouri and Poonch districts, has seen several deadly attacks on security forces and civilians in recent years. Five soldiers from the Army's Special Forces unit were killed in an ambush in Budhal area of Rajouri in May, and an officer was injured in an IED explosion.
