Massive manhunt underway as five soldiers killed in ‘terror attack’ in Jammu

While Jaish-e-Mohammad's proxy outfit People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF) 'has claimed responsibility for the attack', the defence agencies are still trying to ascertain this, it is learnt.

The army truck on fire following the attack | Photo: ANI

New Delhi: The Army and other security forces have launched a massive search operation to pin down the terrorists allegedly involved in the attack on an Army truck Thursday, which led to the death of five soldiers.

Sources in the defence and security establishment told ThePrint that while Jaish-e-Mohammad’s proxy outfit People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF) has claimed responsibility for the attack, they are trying to ascertain this. The central government had in January this year declared PAFF a terrorist organisation.

“The security forces have launched a manhunt which involves multiple agencies. We will get to them,” a source said.

The attack took place when the soldiers were traveling in a truck in the Rajouri sector in Jammu.

The Northern Command of the Army in a statement said that at approximately 1500 hours (3 pm) Thursday, one Army vehicle, moving between Bhimber Gali and Poonch in the Rajouri sector was fired on by unidentified terrorists.

It said that the terrorists took advantage of heavy rains and low visibility in the area.

“The vehicle caught fire, due to likely use of grenades by terrorists,” the statement added.

While noting that five personnel of the Rashtriya Rifles Unit deployed for counter-terrorist operations in this area were killed, the statement said another was seriously injured.

The Army identified the slain soldiers as Havildar Mandeep Singh, Lance Naik Debashish Baswal, Kulwant Singh, Sepoys Harkrishan Singh and Sewak Singh.

Graphic visuals, purportedly of the truck on fire and the dead soldiers, have been shared on social media.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who was briefed by Army chief General Manoj Pande after the attack said in a social media post Thursday that he was “anguished” by the attack.

Incidentally, the attack came on a day when Pakistan confirmed that its Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto will be traveling to India next month for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation ‘s (SCO) Foreign Ministers’s Meeting.

(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)