Ultras fire at fuel tank triggering blaze, lob grenades; escape
Gen Pande briefs Rajnath Singh on terror attack
Massive search operations launched by Army, police
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 20: After Dhangri carnage in Rajouri, the militants struck again in broad day-light today at Bhatta Durrian in Mendhar area of Poonch district targeting a moving vehicle of the Army with firing and grenades in which five Army soldiers were martyred and another was seriously injured.
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The fresh terror attack in the border district came at a time when security forces and police were still trying hard to eliminate two foreign militants involved in the killing of seven minority community members, two of them minors, at village Dhangri in Rajouri district on January 1.
At almost the same place at Bhatta Durrian, four Army soldiers were martyred in gun battle with the militants in October 2021 taking toll in the then ongoing operations against three to four militants in the area to nine. The militants had escaped.
An Army statement attributable to Northern Command Headquarters and eyewitness account gathered by the Excelsior revealed that the militants hiding behind bushes and cluster of trees opened firing on the Army truck moving between Bhimber Gali and Poonch at Bhatta Durrian in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch district at 3 pm taking advantage of adverse weather conditions as it was raining heavily in the area amidst thunderstorm.
Sources said that one of the militants managed to stop the truck by throwing grenades while another opened calibrated fire towards its fuel tank, triggering a massive blaze in the vehicle. In the meantime, another militant opened fire at on-board soldiers with intention to wound them, so that they were not able to move out of the vehicle.
Experts said that the militants laid down the trap in a planned manner, leaving very little scope of reaction time for the trained Rashtriya Rifles jawans who were travelling in the truck. They added that modus operandi of attack is also new to Jammu and Kashmir and it was earlier seen in North East, where terror groups target Army and paramilitary conveys on isolated roads.
Army personnel didn’t get any chance to retaliate.
Eyewitnesses in the area said they heard loud sound of explosion and came out. Locals gathered at the spot and soon Army and police personnel from nearby locations rushed to the site. Area was cordoned off. Senior Army and police officers from Poonch, Rajouri and Jammu reached the site late this evening for on spot investigations.
The deceased Army soldiers were from a Rashtriya Rifles unit deployed for counter terror operations, it said in a statement.
Sources said officials saw bullet marks on the vehicle and also recovered fragments of grenades confirming it was a terror attack.
Five Army soldiers attained martyrdom in the attack and another was critically wounded. Injured has been shifted to Military Hospital.
“Some of the bodies were charred as the truck caught fire in the militant attack,” sources said.
Additional reinforcement of Army and police was rushed to the spot and immediately a search operation was launched in Bhatta Durrian and surroundings to nab or eliminate the militants involved in the attack. Number of the militants was suspected to be between two to three.
Soon after Army confirmed that it was a terror attack, Army chief Gen Manoj Pande met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi and briefed him about the death of five soldiers in a terrorist attack in Poonch sector.
“The Indian Army troops on the ground are keeping a watch on the situation and taking appropriate action,” sources said.
Visuals showed semi-burnt bodies of the soldiers lying on the road besides the burning truck. Local people and Army personnel were seen extinguishing the fire.
To facilitate search operations against the militants, traffic has been suspended from Bhimber Gali to Surankote and the authorities have advised commuters to adopt alternative routes including Bhimber Gali-Mendhar-Jarran Wali Gali to Surankote-Poonch or via Krishna Ghati to Poonch.
Search operations had raged in Bhatta Durrian forests for nearly a fortnight in October 2021 for three to four militants after four Army soldiers including a JCO were martyred in the encounter. Prior to this, five jawans were martyred in adjacent Chamrer forests of Surankote few days back. A total of nine soldiers lost their lives but the militants had remained untraced.
“It can’t be said whether the same militants were still hiding in the area or a fresh group was instrumental in today’s terror attack. Moreover, two foreign militants involved in the killing of seven members of minority community at Dhangri in Rajouri district on January 1 this year, also remained untraced so far and their involvement in the attack also can’t be ruled out,” sources said.
They confirmed that it was a major terror attack and has indicated revival of militancy to some extent in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch especially in the wake of Dhangri attack.
The martyrs have been identified as Havaldar Mandeep Singh R/o Village Chankoian Kocan, Punjab, Lance Naik Kulwant Singh R/o Village Charik, Punjab, Sepoy Harkrishan Singh R/o Village Talwandi Barth, Punjab, Sepoy Sevak Singh R/o Village Bagha, Punjab, and Lance Naik Debashish Baswal R/o Village Algum Samil Khanday, Odisha.
Bodies of the martyrs will be sent to their home towns tomorrow after completion of legal formalities and tribute.
The attack came at the time when the Jammu and Kashmir Government has been preparing for hosting maiden G20 meeting in Srinagar. Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a detailed security review earlier this week and issued directions to security agencies to work in a coordinated manner for the success of the event.
Moreover, the Army Commanders’ Conference (ACC) is going on in New Delhi to deliberate on the country’s internal and external security. It will conclude tomorrow. Yesterday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the conference in which Jammu and Kashmir security and situation along Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan also figured prominently.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed condolence with brave hearts.
“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.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha also expressed anguish over the loss of lives.
“I am deeply anguished by the loss of lives of brave Army personnel in a tragic incident at Poonch. Their rich service to the nation will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with the bereaved families,” Sinha tweeted.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has strongly condemned the terror attack on an Army vehicle in Poonch district and said “we are united against terrorism”.
He also expressed his deep condolences to the families of the soldiers who lost their lives in the attack and prayed for the early recovery of the injured soldiers.
“Strongly condemn the terror attack on an Army vehicle in Poonch District, Jammu & Kashmir. Our deepest condolences to the families of 5 Rashtriya Rifle bravehearts. Our prayers for the injured personnel. We are united against terrorism,” he said on Twitter.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also said he was saddened to hear the news of the attack and paid his tributes to the bravehearts who lost their lives in the incident.
“The news of the martyrdom of 5 of our soldiers in the terrorist attack in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir is very sad. I pay my humble tributes to those bravehearts and express my deepest condolences to their bereaved families,” Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.
Former Chief Minister and DPAP chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad has also expressed condolences to bereaved families of the Army personnel.
Major terror attacks in Rajouri-Poonch in less than 2 years
Rajouri and Poonch districts have witnessed some major terror strikes in less than two years indicating presence of militants and revival of militancy to some extent.
Some of them are:
*October 11, 2021: Five Army soldiers including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) were martyred in an encounter with militants at Chamrer forests in Surankote tehsil of Poonch district.
* October 16, 2021: Four more soldiers including another JCO lost their lives in gun battle with same group of militants at Bhatta Durrian in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch. Army searched militants in Pir Panjal forests for about a fortnight but they remained untraced.
* August 11, 2022: Five Army jawans were killed and two fidayeens were eliminated during attack on an Army camp at Pargal in Darhal area of Rajouri district.
* January 1, 2023: Seven civilians of minority community, two of them minors, were killed in firing and IED blast triggered by two foreign militants at village Dhangri in Rajouri district.
* Mar-Apr 2022: Four blasts rocked Koteranka tehsil in Rajouri district within a span of 28 days targeting police, labourers, marriage house etc but causing very little damage. However, all these blasts were later worked out by the police.
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