Four Army soldiers including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) were killed, while six others were injured after their vehicles came under an ambush attack by terrorists on the remote Machedi-Kimdli-Malhar road in Kathua district. Elite para troops have been deployed in response to the attack.
Officials told Srinagar-based news gathering agency Kashmir Dot Com that terrorists ambushed two vehicles of Army patrolling parties during routine movement and fired on them indiscriminately, followed by lobbing grenades. They added that the army retaliated; however, the terrorists managed to flee into nearby forests.
“Four Army soldiers including a JCO were killed in action, while six others are injured and currently receiving treatment at different hospitals where their condition is stable,” they said.
Immediately after the attack, additional reinforcements were rushed to the scene, and operations are ongoing at a large scale to track down the hiding terrorists.
Meanwhile, the army has rushed elite para groups via choppers to the area.
Officials said that intermittent firing continues between the terrorists and the security forces.
This marks the second attack on the Indian Army in the Jammu region in the past 48 hours.
On Sunday, an Army camp in Rajouri district was attacked, resulting in one soldier being injured. (KDC)