Nation

5 Indian Army soldiers killed in terror attack, Massive Search operation launched

A massive search operation has been launched after five Indian Army soldiers lost their lives in a terror attack on Thursday (April 20) when terrorists opened fire on an army vehicle in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch. According to preliminary reports, the incident seemed like the vehicle caught fire, killing the Army personnel.

Reportedly, the army vehicle caught fire due to the likely use of grenades by the perpetrators. The vehicle was moving between Bhimber Gali and Poonch in the Rajauri sector at around 3 PM when it was fired upon by the unidentified terrorists. The terrorist carried out the strike by taking advantage of the heavy rains and low visibility in the area.

The five soldiers who lost their lives in the incident were from the Rashtriya Rifles Unit deployed for Counter Terrorist operations in the area. Another seriously injured soldier was evacuated immediately to the Army Hospital at Rajauri and is under treatment.

The casualties were identified as Havildar Mandeep Singh, Lance Naik Debashish Baswal, Lance Naik Kulwant Singh, Sepoy Harkrishan Singh and Sepoy Sewak Singh.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed grief over the incident in a tweet. The Defence Minister was briefed about the incident by the Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande.

“Anguished by the tragedy in Poonch District (J&K), where the Indian Army has lost its brave soldiers after a truck caught fire. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families,” the Defence Minister tweeted.

According to the Army, operations are in progress to locate the perpetrators. A team from National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also reached Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch where the incident took place to conduct probe.

 

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