Three soldiers were killed after a powerful blast hit an army vehicle in Assam's Tinsukia district
At least three soldiers were killed and four critically injured after a powerful blast hit an army convoy in Digboi in Tinsukia district of Assam, an army official said.
Army sources say, heavily armed terrorist of banned outfit United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) attacked an army convoy early this morning with Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG), Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and AK-47 hitting two trucks and a jeep near the Pengeri reserve forest in the eastern Assam district of Tinsukia, about 550 km from the state capital Guwahati.
"They (the terrorists) had planted an IED on the road. The army convoy was hit by the IED blast and the terrorists started firing indiscriminately." Defence public relations officer Lt. Col. Suneet Newton said.
The attack on convoy triggered an encounter between the security forces and the terrorists. The security personnel retaliated but the terrorists managed to escape as the area is thickly forested and that gave them (terrorist) an edge to attack and escape immediately after the strike, an army official told Reuters, requesting not to be identified. The injured were airlifted to a nearby army base hospital with multiple wounds, he said.
Army, police, and paramilitary troopers have since launched a massive hunt for the rebels and to seal escape routes, an army official said.
Condemning the attack, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said "the perpetrators will be punished".
Home Minister Rajnath Singh was apprised of the security situation after the blast. "Deeply anguished to learn of the death of Army soldiers in a blast in Tinsukia. I pray for the speedy recovery of our injured soldiers," the home minister tweeted this morning.