3 Army personnel dead, 3 injured in militant ambush in J&K’s Rajouri district Sources said that two vehicles, including a Gypsy and a mini-truck, were on their way from Bufliaz in Surankote to Thanamandi in Rajouri, where the headquarters of the 48 Rashtriya Rifles is located.-The Indian Express

 

As the vehicles reached below Topa Pir, militants who appeared to have already laid an ambush attacked them, sources said.(PTI)

Three Army personnel were killed and three others injured when their vehicles were ambushed by militants Thursday evening near Dehra Ki Gali in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district.

“An operation was being conducted in the general area Dera ki Gali since the night of December 20,” said the Army on Thursday evening. “At approximately 3.45 pm on December 21, two Army vehicles carrying troops were moving to the operational site, which were fired upon by terrorists. Own troops immediately retaliated. In the ongoing operation, own troops sustained three fatal and three non-fatal casualties.”

Sources said that two vehicles, including a Gypsy and a mini-truck, were on their way from Bufliaz in Surankote to Thanamandi in Rajouri, where the headquarters of the 48 Rashtriya Rifles is located.As the vehicles reached below Topa Pir, militants who appeared to have already laid an ambush attacked them, sources said.

The attack near Topa Pir comes after over two decades after militants killed the Rajouri District and Sessions Judge V K Phool along with his friend and two police personnel at the same location. The group were on their way from Rajouri to Poonch on December 1, 2001.

The stretch between Dehra Ki Gali and Bufliyaz is one of mostly densely forested areas located on the boundary of Rajouri and Poonch districts. The stretch leads to Chamrer forests and finally the Bhata Dhurian forests.

The twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, which were declared “militancy-free” by the Jammu and Kashmir Police in 2011, have again started witnessing a spurt in militant activity since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

With Pakistan-based militant groups making desperate attempts to revive the terror network in these two districts, security forces and police have killed 27 militants both along the Line of Control and in the hinterland since then. As many as 14 Army soldiers have also been killed in encounters with militants in the time period.The Northern Army Commander, Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, said recently that at least 20-25 terrorists were active in the both these places.