Poonch: At least five Indian Army soldiers were killed after armed militants ambushed their vehicle in the Poonch area of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Thursday.
According to details, militants apparently took advantage of heavy rains and low visibility in the area. Earlier, it was being suspected that the attack on the army truck could have been a result of lightning strike. At the time details were sketchy.
Army said that another soldier was seriously injured in the incident and was evacuated to Rajouri’s Army Hospital.
“Today, at approximately 1500 hours, one Army vehicle, moving between Bhimber Gali and Poonch in the Rajouri sector was fired on by unidentified terrorists, taking advantage of heavy rains and low visibility in the area. The vehicle caught fire, due to likely use of grenades by terrorists,†Army’s Northern Command Headquarters said in a statement.
It said the five deceased personnel belonged to the Rashtriya Rifles Unit were deployed for “counterterrorist operations in the area.â€
The statement further said that “Operations are in progress to trace the perpetrators.â€
Earlier, a Jammu-based defence spokesperson had
said the soldiers were killed due to an incident of fire.
Army and police personnel have rushed to the spot, which is 90 kilometres from Poonch.