On Thursday, four army personnel were killed, and three others sustained injuries during a militant ambush on army vehicles carrying operational teams. The attack occurred in a dense forest area on the Thanamandi-Surankote road, connecting the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch via Dehra Ki Gali (DKG) tourist point.
According to official sources, the ambush unfolded around 3:30 pm when the army was conducting an operation in response to reports of suspicious militant movement in the area. The targeted vehicles were en route from Dehra Ki Gali to Bufliyaz on the Thanamandi-Surankote road.
The incident site, located approximately three kilometers from Bufliyaz, witnessed indiscriminate firing on the army vehicles at Danar Sawaniya morh area, surrounded by dense forests. Despite a heavy exchange of fire, the militants managed to escape into the nearby forest.
“In the incident, four army personnel have lost their lives while three others are injured. They all have been shifted to the local army hospital and are under treatment there,” stated official sources. The bodies of the deceased personnel have been retrieved and transferred to the nearest army camp.
The army has identified the fallen soldiers as Birendar Singh, Chandan Kumar, Karan Kumar, and Gautam Kumar. An official army statement revealed that the operation had been ongoing in the general area of Dehra Ki Gali since the night of December 20.
The statement read, “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. The fire was immediately retaliated upon by own troops.”
“In the ongoing operation, own troops sustained three fatal and three non-fatal casualties. Operation is in progress, and further details are being ascertained,” the army statement concluded.
This incident marks the second major attack in the Rajouri-Poonch region within the last month. On November 23 and 24, an encounter at Baaji Maal, Barevi in Kalakote area of Rajouri district resulted in the loss of five army personnel, including two officers, while two militants were killed.
