A group of unidentified terrorists attacked an Army vehicle in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of five army soldiers. According to a statement by the Northern Command based in Udhampur, the incident occurred on Thursday, April 20. The soldiers had been deployed for counterterrorism operations. The incident occurred during heavy rain and low visibility, and the terrorists likely used grenades, causing the vehicle to catch fire, the statement said.

One soldier was severely injured and was taken to the Army Hospital at Rajouri. The Army and police have launched search operations and drone surveillance to apprehend the perpetrators. Traffic has been stopped between Bhimber Gali and Surankote.

Army Chief General Manoj Pande briefed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi about the attack. Singh expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased soldiers. "Anguished by the tragedy in Poonch District (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," Singh said.

The five deceased personnel belonged to the Rashtriya Rifles Unit and were deployed for counterterrorist operations in the area. The incident occurred around 3 pm when the Army vehicle was moving between Bhimber Gali and Poonch in the Rajouri sector. The Army and police personnel have rushed to the spot, which is 90 kilometres from Poonch, and search operations and drone surveillance are underway to identify the perpetrators.

With inputs from IANS