They were evacuated to the Command Hospital in Udhampur, where one of them, Corporal Vikky Pahade, died of injuries.
(PTI) Security personnel during an operation in Pooch district Sunday to track down the militants behind the attack.
As the vehicle stopped, the militants turned their guns to the side of the vehicle injuring the IAF personnel.
It is also suspected that they may have been involved in previous attacks on security forces since last year.
Without this it is not possible for them to survive in the area which has a good presence of the security forces, he said.
A day after militants attacked an Indian Air Force (IAF) convoy near Shahsitar in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, security forces and police continued their joint search operations in the forest areas Sunday with the help of helicopters and drones to track down those responsible.
Five IAF personnel were injured in the attack. They were evacuated to the Command Hospital in Udhampur, where one of them, Corporal Vikky Pahade, died of injuries.
“The CAS Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari & all personnel of Indian Air Force salute the braveheart Corporal Vikky Pahade, who made the supreme sacrifice in Poonch Sector, in the service of the nation. Our deepest condolences to the bereaved family. We stand firmly by your side in this hour of grief,” the IAF said in a post on its official X handle.
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Security personnel during an operation in Pooch district Sunday to track down the militants behind the attack. (PTI) Security personnel during an operation in Pooch district Sunday to track down the militants behind the attack. (PTI)
Until late evening, no contact was established with the militants, said sources, adding that the search operations in Jarranwali Gali and adjoining areas would continue.
Nearly half a dozen people were picked up by police from the Sanai area for questioning. Earlier in the day, Additional Director General of Police, Jammu, Anand Jain, visited the area.
Giving details of the attack, sources said the truck which was targeted by the militants was the last of three vehicles moving from Jaranwalli Gali to Shahistar Top where the IAF has a base.
Corporal Vikky Pahade was killed in the attack. (PTI/Inset); Corporal Vikky Pahade was killed in the attack. (PTI/Inset);
After the first two vehicles passed, the militants, who had taken positions atop the hills along the road, opened fire, hitting the front windscreen of the last vehicle. As the vehicle stopped, the militants turned their guns to the side of the vehicle injuring the IAF personnel.
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However, timely retaliation by the IAF personnel made the militants flee to the nearby forests.
This was the second militant attack in Pir Panjal region spread over Rajouri and Poonch districts in less than a fortnight. On April 22, a 40-year-old villager, Mohammad Raziq of Kunda Top, was shot dead by militants near Shahdra Sharief area of Thanamandi. Raziq’s brother is a soldier in the Territorial Army.
Both Rajouri and Poonch districts form part of the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, which will go to polls on May 25.
Although no militant outfit has claimed responsibility yet for Saturday’s attack on the IAF convoy, it is suspected that those involved appear to be well versed with the topography of the area. It is also suspected that they may have been involved in previous attacks on security forces since last year.
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In an ambush on December 21, in which four Army soldiers were killed near Topa Pir on the Dehra Ki Gali-Buffliaz road in Poonch district, the militants had similarly taken positions on the hills and opened fire on two vehicles of the security forces. In the ambush near Bhatta Durrian on April 20 last year as well, the militants had taken positions on the hills along NH-144A and targeted the Army truck.
All these three locations fall within a radius of nearly 40 km, separated by dense forests and the NH-144A.
A retired Army officer who served in Jammu and Kashmir for several years said the militants appear to be well-trained and have established a strong logistical support base. Without this it is not possible for them to survive in the area which has a good presence of the security forces, he said.
A total of 19 soldiers were killed in four militant attacks in Rajouri and Poonch districts last year. Around 30 militants were also killed during operations by security forces and police in both the districts.
