NIA team to reach Poonch terror attack site shortly, Army releases names of 5 soldiers killed

JAMMU /KASMIR,APR 21: A team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will arrive in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Friday to investigate the terror attack which killed five Indian Army personnel. Terrorists fired at an Army vehicle on Thursday, leading to the death of the five soldiers and the injury of one more.

The NIA team will reach the site at around 12:30 pm today along with eight forensic experts from Delhi.

5 jawans killed in J&K’s Poonch as terrorists attack Army vehicle, grenades likely used

The deceased soldiers have been identified as Havildar Mandeep Singh, Lance Naik Debashish Baswal, Lance Naik Kulwant Singh, Sepoy Harkrishan Singh and Sepoy Sewak Singh. Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande paid his tributes to the soldiers on Friday.

The jawans killed in the firing were from the Rashtriya Rifles Unit and were deployed for counter-terrorism operations in the area.

Following the attack, security forces have launched a massive search operation in the forests of the Bata-Doriya area. The area has been cordoned off, and security forces are using drones and sniffer dogs to trace the terrorists.

A few hours after the incident, the Northern Command said terrorists fired on the Army vehicle, taking advantage of the heavy rain and low visibility in the area. Sources told India Today that the firing took place from three sides, followed by a grenade attack. The vehicle’s fuel tank caught fire, they added.

Jaish-backed terror group, People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), has claimed responsibility for the attack, sources said. Officials suspect four terrorists were involved in the attack.

Thursday’s attack took place near the site of a 2021 encounter that lasted several weeks. Despite an intense search operation, the terrorists had managed to flee the spot and changed their locations.

-PTI