On Saturday, One soldier was killed and 5 were injured after a group of terrorists attacked two security vehicles, one of which belonged to the Indian Air Force(IAF) near the Surankote area of Poonch district in J&K.
The officials said that the firing took place near the Sanai village in the Surankote area and a huge number of troops from the army and the police have been dispatched in the area with a massive search and blockade operation to hunt down the terrorists and kill them.
IAF on The Attack and How it Occured?
The Indian Air Force stated and posted to their official X page that ‘In the ensuing gunfight with terrorists, the Air Warriors fought back by returning fire. In the process, five IAF personnel received bullet injuries, and were evacuated to the nearest military hospital for immediate medical attention. One Air Warrior succumbed to his injuries later. Further operations are on by the local security forces.’
The officials said that the attack took place around 6:15 pm when the Indian Air Force personnel were on their way to the air force station from Jaranwali when they were assaulted.
According to a report, the terrorists were carrying AK assault rifles and are believed to have retreated into the nearby forests and it also added that there has been no communication with the terrorists so far.
This is the first major and significant attack on the Indian armed forces in the region this year, following a number of attacks against the Indian army last year in this region. After the attack, visuals and images were taken from the site which showed a dozen gunshot holes in the glass of the vehicle that was attacked.
Search Operations Underway
After the attack, the police with the help of the Rashtriya rifles started a major search operation in the area to hunt and neutralize the terrorists, and also vehicle checking in the Poonch area began near the Poonch Highway of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Border region of Poonch and the neighboring region of Rajouri witnessed many terrorist attacks in recent years, signifying the return of terrorist activities in the region which was once free of terrorism and was peaceful between 2003 to 2021.
The latest attack occurred in the Pir Panjal region and involved the killing of a government employee Mohd. Razzaq who happened to be the brother of an army personnel by the terrorists in the Kunda Top region of Rajouri on 22nd April and the killing of Mohd. Sharief, a village defence officer on 28th April in the Basangarh area of Udhampur in J&K.
Lashka-e-Taiba’s Major Role In this Killings
Following the attack, the Police released two pictures of terrorists belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba(LeT) and also included a Pakistani citizen by the name of Abu Hamza who was involved in the killing of Mohd Razaq. The total price of their head was announced at ₹ 10 lakh for any information on these terrorists.
The LeT is responsible for major attacks in this region and their recent attacks have always focused on the Pir Panjal region of J&K.
Political Parties Rection To the Attack
Many Indian political personnel showed condolences towards the family of the officer who died in the attack. Mallikharjun Kharge the INC (Indian National Congress) chief said and posted on his official X page that he was extremely saddened to see the barbaric terror attack on the IAF vehicle in the Poonch area of J&K and he strongly condemns the terrorist attack.
Deeply pained by the cowardly terror attack on the IAF vehicle in Poonch, Jammu & Kashmir.
We strongly and unequivocally condemn this dastardly terror attack and join the nation in standing together against terrorism.
Our deepest condolences to the family of the brave air…
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) May 4, 2024
Rahul Gandhi, the INC Lok Sabha Member said that it was deeply shameful to see their army getting attacked in their own convoy by the terrorists and he expresses his deep condolonces towards the martyred soldier and the injured soliders in the assault.
The Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma also said and posted on his official X page that the attack was a cowardly move by the terrorists to attack an Indian army convoy which resulted in the death of 1 soldier and 5 Air Force officers injured in the situation.
Previous Attacks in the J&K Region
Last year, a major gunfight occurred in the Dharmsal belt of Bajimaal forest in Rajouri between the LeT terrorists and the Indian army, the battle ended with the death of 5 army personnels which included 2 captains of the Indian Army.
Quadri, the top commander of the LeT(Lashkar-e-Taiba) was also killed in the gunfight. He was the the main leader and mastermind behind several attacks which included the killing of 10 civilians and 5 army personnel in the region.
