Rajouri, May 5: Five soldiers were killed following blast triggered by suspected militants in Rajouri forests on Friday morning.
Official sources had said that the incident took place as the army team was conducting a search operation in the Kandi Forest area of Rajouri Sector.
Two soldiers were reported to have been killed immediately after the blast.
Three other soldiers, who were critically injured in the morning have “unfortunately succumbed to their injuries at Command Hospital, Udhampur. “With the fresh casualties, the toll has reached to five,” officials said.
“Several senior officer of army and police are at the site to monitor the ongoing operation”, they further said.
“Indian Army columns have been conducting relentless intelligence based operations to flush out a group of terrorists involved in ambush on an army truck in Tota Gali area of Bhata Dhurian in Jammu region”, a defence official spokesperson earlier said in a statement.
“On specific information about presence of terrorists in the Kandi Forest in Rajauri Sector, a joint operation was launched on 03 May 2023. At about 0730 hours on 05 May 2023, a search team established contact with a group of terrorists well entrenched in a cave. The area is thickly vegetated with rocky and steep cliffs.”
“The terrorists triggered an explosive device in retaliation. Additional teams from the vicinity have been directed to the site of encounter. The injured personnel have been evacuated to Command Hospital, Udhampur.”
“The operation is in progress”, reads the statement adding further details are being ascertained.
This post was published on May 5, 2023