The Army Gypsy that was ambushed near Rajouri district’s Dera Ki Gali area. (Screenshot of amateur video from X.)
Udhampur/New Delhi: In yet another militant ambush on Indian Army vehicles in Jammu & Kashmir’s Poonch-Rajouri sector, four soldiers were killed in action, the Army said on Thursday. Three other soldiers have also been injured in the attack, which took place in the Poonch district.
This is the eight such incident in the Poonch-Rajouri sector since 2021.
According to preliminary reports, militants attacked two vehicles carrying troops as reinforcement for an ongoing operation in the area, which started on December 19. The attack took place at around 3.45pm when the vehicles were passing through Rajouri district’s Dera Ki Gali area very close to the Poonch district.
The Army truck (R) that was ambushed near Rajouri district’s Dera Ki Gali area. (Screenshot of amateur video from X.)
According to some experts, the militants anticipated Army reinforcements to arrive via that route for the counterinsurgency operation in the Dera Ki Gali area, which was launched late Tuesday, and set up an ambush where the terrain favoured the attackers.
Pakistan-based militants have stepped up their attacks against India’s counterinsurgency forces in the area for a while now after a years-long lull. As mentioned earlier in this report, this is the eighth such deadly attack on security forces in the area.
The route where the ambush took place. (Google Maps)
On April 20 this year, militants struck an Army convoy in the same sector killing five soldiers, as India Sentinels had reported then. Coincidentally, Thursday’s ambush and April 20’s ambush took place almost around the same time of the day. In May, five soldiers, including Para SF commandos, were killed when militants lured them to treacherous terrain and engaged them in a firefight from an advantageous position.
Recently, in November, five Army soldiers, including two captains, were killed in action when the Indian troops were engaged in an encounter with militants.
The Army is yet to release details about the soldiers killed in action on Thursday. However, it is widely believed that the soldiers were attached to a Rashtriya Rifles unit deployed for counterinsurgency operations. Officers and other ranks from all Army regiments volunteer to join the Rashtriya Rifles on time-bound deputation.
Note: This is a developing story and will be updated when fresh details emerge.
