Security forces launched a massive search operation on Friday in the dense forests of the Bata-Doriya area after a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch killed five Indian Army personnel and injured one.
Officials said that the entire area has been cordoned off while drones and sniffer dogs are being used to detect any terrorists hiding in the area.
A high alert has been sounded in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, with close vigil along the Line of Control. Traffic on the Bhimber Gali-Poonch road was stopped and people have been advised to take an alternate route via Mendhar.
An NIA team is scheduled to visit the site of the terror attack for inspection, according to officials.
The Army said that the soldiers, from a Rashtriya Rifles unit deployed for counter-terror operations, were killed after their vehicle caught fire following the terrorist attack. The vehicle came under fire from unidentified terrorists and is believed to have caught fire due to the use of grenades.
In a tweet, the Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI) said, “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.”
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed his condolences, saying that 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.
The attack has been condemned by political parties, and on Thursday evening, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal staged a protest on the Tawi bridge in Jammu City, raising anti-Pakistan slogans.
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