Srinagar: Five Army personnel were killed and five injured after terrorists attacked a military convoy in the remote Machedi area of Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district on Monday afternoon. The Army vehicles were on a routine patrol on the Machedi-Kindli-Malhar road when attacked about 150 km from Kathua.
The injured were shifted to a hospital for treatment.
After the initial attack - terrorists threw a grenade and then opened fire - the security forces retaliated but the terrorists fled into the nearby forest, officials said. Reinforcements were rushed in and a search op was launched to track them down.
In a jab at the government, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, said the answer to continuous terrorist attacks had to be strict action and not "hollow speeches and false promises". Party boss Mallikarjun Kharge said he was "deeply anguished at the martyrdom of our brave soldiers..." and that the Congress "unequivocally condemns this cowardly terror attack on the Army convoy in strongest possible terms."
This is the second attack on the Indian Army in the Jammu region in the past 48 hours.
On Sunday an Army camp in Rajouri district was attacked. One soldier was injured.
Today's attack came 24 hours after six terrorists were killed across two separate encounters in J&K's Kulgam district. The encounters, which began on Saturday, also claimed the lives of two soldiers, including a para-trooper, while another soldier sustained injuries, police told NDTV.
The first encounter took place in Modergam village when security forces, comprising the CRPF or Central Reserve Police Force, the Army, and local police, launched a search op based on intelligence about terrorist presence. In the initial exchange of gunfire, a para-trooper was fatally wounded.
READ | After Twin Encounters, Reports Of Firing Near Rajouri Army Camp
The operation escalated into a full-scale assault on a target house where terrorists took shelter. By late Saturday night, security forces destroyed the house and recovered the body of two terrorists.
Simultaneously, another fierce gun battle unfolded in Kulgam's Frisal area. Drone footage revealed the bodies of four terrorists after a long firefight. One soldier was killed and another injured in this fight.
VIDEO | 4 Terrorists Killed Hid In 'Bunker', Entry From Fake Cupboard
The four shot dead in Frisal were identified as Yawar Bashir Dar, Zahid Ahmad Dar, Tawheed Ahmad Rather and Shakeel ah Wani. The two in Madergam were identified as Faisal and Adil.
Para Commando and Lance Naik Pradeep Nain was killed in action in Modergam, while Havaldar Raj Kumar of 1 Rashtriya Rifles was killed in action in the Frisal area.
In a separate incident in the Rajouri district, there were reports of firing near an army camp. One soldier was injured, and although initial reports suggested an attempted overnight terror attack on the Manjakote army camp, the army has yet to confirm these details.
On Sunday, security agency sources said a Pakistan-based operative of the Resistance Front, a unit of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, was behind this spike in terror activities in J&K.
READ | Lashkar's Most-Wanted Terrorist Behind J&K Attacks
Idenitifed as Saifullah Sajid Jatt, from Shangamanga village in Kasur district of Pakistan's Punjab, the NIA has said he is a "hardcore terrorist" and placed a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head.
J&K has witnessed a string of terror attacks over the past couple of months.
Last month, terrorists opened fire at a bus in which pilgrims were travelling. The bus fell into a gorge in Reasi district and nine people were killed. Days later, two armed terrorists entered a village and opened fire. Security forces arrived and, in the gunfight that followed, a CRPF personnel was killed.
The terrorists were shot dead.
Last month three terrorists were killed after a fierce gunfight broke out between terrorists and security forces in the Gandoh area of Doda district in J&K, the police said. These terrorists were believed to have been involved in recent attacks on the Army and the police in the Kashmir Valley.
READ | 3 Terrorists Shot Dead In Gunfight With Security Forces In J&K's Doda
A huge cache of arms and ammunition, including US-made M4 carbines, were recovered.
"Fight Against Terror In Last Stage"
Last week Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Parliament the fight against terrorism in J&K is in its last stage, and that a multi-pronged strategy had been adopted to destroy the remaining network.
READ | Fight Against Terrorism In J&K In Last Stage: PM Modi
"Our fight against terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, in a way, is in last stage, last leg. We are moving with a multi-pronged strategy to eliminate the remaining terror network there," PM Modi had said.
NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.