5 jawans killed in terror attack in J&K's Poonch, militants used grenades to set truck on fire

The vehicle caught fire, due to the likely use of grenades by terrorists, the Army said in a statement.

Poonch (J&K): Five soldiers were killed in a militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, the Army said in a statement on Thursday. The soldiers were travelling in an army truck when the militants attacked the vehicle with grenades in the Bhimber Gali area of Poonch district.

"Today, at approximately 1500 hours, one Army vehicle, moving between Bhimber Gali and Poonch in the Rajouri sector was fired on by unidentified terrorists, taking advantage of heavy rains and low visibility in the area. The vehicle caught fire, due to likely use of grenades by terrorists," the Army's Northern Command said in a statement.

"Five personnel of the Rashtriya Rifles Unit deployed for Counter Terrorist operations, in the area, have unfortunately lost their lives in the incident. Another seriously injured soldier was evacuated immediately to the Army Hospital at Rajauri and is under treatment. Operations are in progress to locate the perpetrators," the statement added.

Earlier, it was suspected that the fire was caused by a lightning strike. Thursday's incident is one of the major militant attacks in Jammu and Kashmir this year. Poonch being a border district has heightened security as it sees attempts of infiltration every now and then.

Earlier this month, Army foiled a major infiltration bid in the Poonch sector along the Line of Control (LoC). According to the statement, on the intervening night of April 8-9, Army troops posted on the LoC, in the Poonch sector of J-K, detected suspicious movements of some individuals.

"The individuals were challenged by Indian Army troops on their own side of LoC, close to the fence. On being intercepted, in the ensuing operations, one dead body has been seen and the other intruders ran into the forest area," the defence statement added. The area where the suspected infiltrators were sighted was cordoned off and a manhunt was launched, the statement added.

Previously, in March, the Army, in a joint operation with Jammu and Kashmir Police, foiled an infiltration bid along the LoC in the Tangdhar sector and neutralised a terrorist. More than 200 rounds of AK rifles rounds, three magazines, two China-made grenades and medicines, and food items were recovered from the spot.