Five soldiers martyred, one injured in Poonch terrorist attack: Army

Terrorists fired upon an Army vehicle taking advantage of the heavy rain and low visibility in the area, the Northern Command said

Chandra Maurya

April 20, 2023

Terrorists fired upon an Army vehicle taking advantage of the heavy rain and low visibility in the area, the Northern Command said

Poonch terrorist attack shocks the nation

An Indian Army vehicle was ambushed by ‘unidentified’ terrorists near the Bhimber Gali area of Poonch in which five Indian soldiers sacrificed their lives in the line of duty while another received critical burn injuries on Thursday.

Ironically, the terrorists managed to flee the area after attacking the army truck in the thickly forested area of Poonch. Soon after the incident occurred several local residents in the area rushed to the spot and desperately tried to douse the flames of fire engulfing the army soldiers. According to video footage circulated on various social media platforms the villagers were seen shifting the charred bodies of soldiers with bare hands from inside the truck. The soldiers of the Indian Army had also launched a massive manhunt in the jungle area to trace the perpetrators behind the terror attack.

The terror incident has not only shattered peace but is most likely to create ripples in the diplomatic circuit ahead of the G20 Tourism working group meeting in Srinagar between May 22-24.

Meanwhile, tensions between India and Pakistan are likely to escalate further in the coming weeks. So far peace was prevailing since Feb 24-25,2021, when a joint statement was released by the Director General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan amid heightened tensions.

According to a statement issued by the Udhampur-based Northern Command headquarters, “On Thursday at approximately 3.00 p.m, 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 the likely use of grenades by terrorists.

Five personnel of the Rashtriya Rifles (RR) Unit deployed for Counter Terrorist operations in this area, sacrificed their lives in the incident. Another seriously injured soldier was evacuated immediately to the Army Hospital at Rajouri and is under treatment.

In New Delhi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was briefed by Army Chief General Manoj Pande about the attack.

The Defence Minister also offered condolences to the families of the deceased tweeting, “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.”

On ground zero, the joint team of security forces has also launched a massive manhunt to nab the perpetrators behind the terror attack.

Last week, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval chaired a high-level security review meeting in the Union territory to ensure peaceful conduct of the G20 meeting.

The meeting was also attended by the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Director General of Police Dilbag Singh, and other senior officials.

So far the Indian Army has not released the identities of the martyred soldiers. After the terror strike the traffic on the Jammu Poonch was diverted to prevent any untoward incident during the search operations.

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