Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 4: In first attack of the year targeting security forces which comes nearly three weeks ahead of polling in Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary constituency, the terrorists ambushed a convoy of the Indian Army Force (IAF) at Bakrabal Mohalla near Sanai in Surankote tehsil of Poonch district this evening in which an IAF Warrior was martyred while five other soldiers were injured.
The attack resembled to December 21, 2023 ambush by the terrorists at Dera Ki Gali in Bufliaz area of Surankote in which four Army soldiers were martyred while three civilians were later killed under mysterious circumstances.
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Reports said the terrorists, whose exact number couldn’t be ascertained immediately but it was believed to be three, had taken positions atop a hill and rained bullets on the IAF convoy when it reached Bakrabal Mohalla near Sanai in Surankote tehsil, which was almost isolated area, around 6.15 pm today.
Alert troops fired back and engaged the terrorists in gun battle but they managed to escape towards mountainous area.
Six IAF personnel sustained injuries in the attack, one of whom later attained martyrdom.
The martyr has been identified as Vicky Pahade and the injured as Basit, BL Singh, AK Mishra, Sham Lal and Dabhi SH.
“Five IAF personnel received bullet injuries and were evacuated to the nearest military hospital for immediate medical attention. One Air Warrior succumbed to his injuries later. Further operations are on by the local security forces,” a Defence spokesperson said in a post on X tonight.
The convoy was reportedly on way to Shastar from Jaran Wali.
Reinforcement of troops, paramilitary forces and police rushed to the spot and launched search operation for the terrorists but they remained untraced.
Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary seat which also comprised Poonch district will go to polls in sixth phase on May 25. Earlier, the polling in the segment was scheduled in third phase on May 7 but was deferred by the Election Commission due to adverse weather conditions.
This was the first terror attack on security forces in twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch while last year four such attacks were witnessed in which 19 soldiers were martyred. Nearly 30 terrorists were also killed last year in two districts, both on the Line of Control (LoC) as well as hinterland.
This was, however, third terror attack in the Jammu region in past fortnight. The latest incident in the Pir Panjal region follows the killing of Government employee Mohd Razaq, brother of an Army personnel, by terrorists in Rajouri’s Kunda Top near Shahdara Sharief on April 22 and Village Defence Guard Mohd Sharief in the Basantgarh area of Udhampur on April 28.
Terrorists involved in all these attacks remained untraced. Police have released pictures of two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists, including suspected Pakistani national Abu Hamza, involved in the murder of Mohammad Razaq and announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for information leading to his arrest.
The officials suspect the involvement of the same group of terrorists who ambushed troops in adjoining Dera Ki Gali in Bufliaz area of Surankote on December 21 last year, leaving four soldiers dead and three injured.
One of the trucks in the IAF convoy bore the maximum brunt of the attack with several bullets hitting its windscreen and side. The terrorists, who were armed with AK assault rifles, are believed to have fled into the nearby forests, the officials said.
Reinforcements from the Army and police have been rushed to the area and a massive search and cordon operation has been launched to track down and neutralise the terrorists, they said, adding that there has been no contact with the fleeing terrorists so far.
Police assisted by paramilitary forces had been carrying out searches in Poonch town since Friday following inputs about the movement of suspected persons. However, no one was arrested during the operation, the officials said.
The border district of Poonch along with adjoining Rajouri has witnessed some major terrorist attacks over the past two years, signalling the return of terror activities to the region, which was once cleared of terrorism and remained peaceful between 2003 and 2021.
The Dera Ki Gali ambush in Surankote in December last year in which four soldiers sacrificed their lives came weeks after a major gunfight in the Dharmsal belt of Bajimaal forest in Kalakote area of Rajouri that left five Army personnel, including two Captains, martyred.
Two terrorists, including top LeT commander Quari, were also killed in the two-day gunfight. Quari was said to be the mastermind behind several attacks, including the killing of 10 civilians and five Army personnel in the district.
The stretch between Dera Ki Gali and Bufliaz on the boundary of Rajouri and Poonch is densely forested and leads to Chamrer forest and then Bhata Dhurian forest, where five soldiers sacrificed their lives in an ambush attack on an Army vehicle on April 20 last year.
In May last year, five more Army personnel were martyred and a Major-rank officer was injured in Chamrer forest during an anti-terrorist operation. A foreign terrorist was also killed in the operation.
In 2022, five Army personnel were killed when terrorists carried out a suicide attack on their camp at Pargal in the Darhal area of Rajouri district. Both the terrorists involved in the attack were eliminated.
In 2021, nine soldiers were martyred in two attacks by terrorists in the forested region. While five Army personnel, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), were killed on October 11 in Chamrer, a JCO and three soldiers were killed on October 14 in a nearby forest.
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