Within minutes after terrorists attacked an Army truck near Bhimber Gali on the border of Poonch and Rajouri districts, Army Chief General Manoj Pande briefed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh about the incident.
Five soldiers lost their lives in the line of duty in a terror attack in the Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
Soldiers who lost their lives in the gruesome terror attack are -- Hav Mandeep Singh, Sepoy Harkrishan Singh, L/Nk Kulwant Singh, Sepoy Sewak Singh (all residents of Punjab), and L/Nk Debashish of Orrisa.
Initial reports said that some unidentified terrorists lobbed grenades at an Army truck near Bhimber Gali in the Mendhar area of the Poonch district. Reports also said that the army jawans on the ground were keeping a watch on the situation and taking appropriate action.
A handout issued by Jammu-based defence spokesperson Col Devender Anand said that the vehicle was fired upon by terrorists after which it erupted in flames after grenades were lobbed by the terrorists.
"An Army vehicle moving between Bhimber Gali and Poonch in the Rajouri sector in J-K was fired upon by unidentified terrorists today. The vehicle caught fire, due to the likely use of grenades by terrorists," the defence spokesperson said.
@Whiteknight_IA salutes the sacrifice of Hav Mandeep Singh, L/Nk Debashish Baswal, L/Nk Kulwant Singh, Sep Harkrishan Singh, Sep Sewak Singh, who laid down their lives in the line of duty in #Poonch Sector on 20 Apr 23. We stand in solidarity with the bereaved families. pic.twitter.com/50D9HRdssa
— White Knight Corps (@Whiteknight_IA) April 20, 2023
"Five personnel of the Rashtriya Rifles Unit deployed for Counter Terrorist operations, in this area, have unfortunately lost their lives in the incident," it added.
Another soldier, who sustained serious injuries, was evacuated immediately and rushed to the Army Hospital at Rajouri. He is currently under treatment.
Massive search operation launched after the terror attack.
Reports said that security forces have launched this massive search operation after a deadly attack by terrorists on an army vehicle in which five army personnel lost their lives, with critical injuries to another personnel.
05 Army jawans were killed and one injured in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's #Poonch. The terrorists likely used grenades.
— Indian Aerospace Defence News - IADN (@NewsIADN) April 20, 2023
More information awaited.#IADN pic.twitter.com/imh1IzKt5F
An official told that both the Army and police have launched a search operation in the area.
"Heavy deployment of forces has been made and many villages including Bhata Dhurian, Nar forest, Sanjiote, and Kotan have been cordoned and intense searches are going on," he said.
Senior army and police officers are also camping at site monitoring the operation that has been launched to track the attackers, the official added.
Rajnath Singh expressed anguish over the death of five soldiers in the terror attack.
"Anguished by the tragedy in Poonch District of 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" Rajnath Singh tweeted.
