One soldier was killed and four injured as an Indian Air Force (IAF) convoy in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district was ambushed on Saturday, three weeks before polling in the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency.
Officials said five security personnel were injured, two of them critically, when four militants opened fire on IAF vehicles moving towards Sanai Top in Poonch’s Surankot area in the evening. One of the critically injured soldiers succumbed at a military hospital during treatment, they said.
“An Indian Air Force vehicle convoy was attacked by militants in Poonch district of J-K, near Shahsitar. Cordon and search operations are underway presently in the area by local military units. The convoy has been secured and further investigation is under progress,” the IAF said in a post on X.
“In the gun battle with terrorists, the Air Warriors fought back by returning fire. In the process, five IAF personnel received bullet injuries, and were evacuated to the nearest military hospital for immediate medical attention. One Air Warrior succumbed to his injuries later. Further operations are on by the local security forces,” it said in another post.
The attack took place around 6:15pm when the troops were returning to the air force station from Jaranwali.
The officials suspect the involvement of the same group that ambushed troops in the adjoining Bufliaz on December 21 last year, leaving four soldiers dead and three injured.
One of the trucks in the IAF convoy bore the brunt of the attack with several bullets hitting its windscreen and side. The attackers, armed with AK assault rifles, are believed to have fled into the nearby forests, the officials said.