Suspected militants open fire at Army vehicles in J&K; no one injured

Jammu: Suspected terrorists fired upon a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday evening, prompting security forces to launch a search operation, officials said. No security personnel was injured in the attack, they said.

"At around 1800h today, a Security Forces convoy of vehicles was fired upon by suspected terrorists from a jungle near Krishna Ghati, Poonch sector. No casualties to own troops. Joint search operations by Indian Army and JKP (Jammu and Kashmir Police) are in progress," the White Night Corps of the Army posted on X. The vehicles that came under attack were carrying security personnel back to the camp, the officials said.

The incident came after a high-level security meeting chaired by Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi to chart out an anti-terror operation plan for the new year to foil the design of terrorists in the region.

A similar ambush on Army vehicles took place in Poonch's Dhatya Morh in the Dera Ki Gali area on December 21. Four Army personnel were killed in the attack. Rajouri and Poonch districts, which were peaceful in the past, have witnessed targeted attacks by terrorists on the Army and civilians, they said.

Nineteen soldiers were killed in four attacks by terrorists in Rajouri and Poonch in 2023. The security forces eliminated more than 30 terrorists in the two districts – along the Line of Control (LoC) as well as in the hinterland – last year.