J&K: Five Army personnel killed in blast triggered by militants in Rajouri
One more soldier sustained injuries and was taken to the Command Hospital in Udhampur.
Five Army personnel were killed and one was injured in an explosion triggered by militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Friday.
Initially, authorities said that two soldiers had died in the blast. The Army later said that three more personnel succumbed to their injuries.
The soldier who was injured was taken to the Command Hospital in Udhampur.
The Army’s Northern Command said that its personnel were conducting intelligence-based operations to flush out a group of militants who were involved in an ambush on an Army truck on April 20 in which at least five soldiers were killed.
During the joint operation, in the Kandi Forest in the Rajouri, the terrorists triggered an explosive device in retaliation. The Army team has suffered two fatal casualties with injuries to four more soldiers including an officer. Additional teams from the vicinity have been…
— ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023
“On specific information about the presence of terrorists in the Kandi Forest in the Rajouri Sector, a joint operation was launched on May 3,” the Army said. “Around 7.30 am on Friday, a search team established contact with a group of terrorists well entrenched in a cave.”
The Northern Command said that the militants then triggered an explosive device, which left five Army personnel dead.
“There is a likelihood of casualties in the terrorist group and the operation is in progress,” it added. “Further details are being ascertained.”