Bloodstains, bullet casings: Aftermath of terror attack on army patrol in Kathua | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Bloodstains on the road and helmets, bullet casings, vehicles with broken windshields and flat tires… The aftermath of Monday’s ambush by terrorists on a Army Patrol was clearly visible on a wooded mountain road on Tuesday. Fierce resistance from troops and a prolonged firefight were clearly visible from the scene near the village of Badnota, about 150 km from Kathua district headquarters.
The ambush, which took place around 3:30 p.m. on the Machedi-Kindli-Malhar mountain road, left five Army personnel dead and five wounded when heavily armed terrorists threw a grenade and opened fire on two army vehicles, marking the fifth terrorist attack in Jammu within a month, an alarming escalation in the region that is relatively peaceful compared to the Kashmir Valley. Officials attributed the increase in violence to attempts by Pakistani handlers to revive terrorism.
Despite the heavy losses, the soldiers showed remarkable courage and resilience. The troops fought the terrorists for hours and fought back the attackers, who are believed to have taken cover in the thick foliage on a hill. The terrorists, probably a group of three, managed to disappear into the dense forest after a prolonged firefight.
The search for the terrorists, which was suspended on Monday night due to heavy rains, resumed on Tuesday. Joint search parties of the army, police and CRPF were deployed from various directions, including Kathua, Udhampur and Doda. The army’s elite paratroopers, sniffer dogs, drones and helicopters were also mobilised for the operation.
The ambush site bore the telltale signs of violence. Two army vehicles, parked about 300 metres apart, showed evidence of a sudden attack as they probably took a bend in the road. Villagers played a crucial role in the aftermath, joining rescue operations to evacuate the victims. Anti-Pakistan protests broke out in several areas as agitated villagers condemned the terrorist attack.
“A civilian bus passed the road about 10 minutes before the attack. We heard a loud explosion and initially thought it was a tyre burst, but the subsequent heavy firing made us realise that a confrontation had started,” said Puran Chand Sharma, a villager who runs a shop nearby, as quoted by . The heavy firing continued until 5pm, followed by intermittent gunfire for another hour.
“There were about 12 villagers in my shop. We hid inside to avoid being caught in the crossfire. After the shooting stopped, we rushed to evacuate the victims,” ​​he added.
Vijay Kumar, another local resident, noted that this was the first terror incident in the village since cross-border terrorism broke out in Jammu and Kashmir more than three decades ago. “We have not noticed any movement of terrorists in our area, which has over 100 families,” he said, speculating that the terrorists might have arrived in the bus that had passed by shortly before the attack.
Kathua Senior Superintendent of Police Anayat Ali Choudhary, who was on the scene hours after the incident, is camping with other police officers in Lawang-Machedi to oversee the counter-terror operation. “Efforts are on to track down and neutralise the terrorists. Joint search parties have been sent out from all sides and it is a matter of investigation how the terrorists reached the area,” a police official said.
Police Commissioner RR Swain is personally overseeing the counter-terrorist operation in the dense forest area that connects to Basantgarh in Udhampur district, a region that has seen several clashes in the past. On April 28, a village defence guard was killed in an encounter with terrorists at Panara village in Basantgarh. Officials believe that this route could be used by terrorists to reach the hinterland after infiltrating from across the border.
The Jammu region has been rocked by a series of recent ambushes and terrorist attacks, particularly in the border districts of Poonch, Rajouri, Doda and Reasi. On June 9, terrorists attacked a bus carrying pilgrims from the Shiv Khori temple in Reasi district, killing nine and injuring 41. Earlier in May, terrorists attacked an Indian Air Force convoy in Poonch district, killing one soldier and injuring several others.
The shadow organisation Kashmir Tigers, which has links to the banned Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), has claimed responsibility for the latest attack.