“The vehicle caught fire, due to likely use of grenades by terrorists,” it stated. The incident happened round 3 pm when the Army automobile was transferring between Bhimber Gali and Poonch within the Rajouri sector.

“Five personnel of the Rashtriya Rifles unit deployed for Counter Terrorist operations, in this area, have unfortunately lost their lives in the incident,” the Northern Command stated.

“Another seriously injured soldier was evacuated immediately to the Army Hospital at Rajouri and is under treatment,” it stated. “Operations are in progress to locate the perpetrators. Further details are being ascertained.”

While this replace was issued at 6.45 pm, the Army, in an earlier communication, had stated the automobile “caught fire”, resulting in the casualties.

At 6.33 pm, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in a Twitter publish, stated: “Anguished by the tragedy in Poonch District (J&K), where the Indian Army has lost its brave soldiers after a truck caught fire. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families.”

The useless have been recognized as Hav Mandeep Singh, L/Nk Kulwant Singh, Sep Harkrishan Singh and Sep Sewak Singh from Punjab, and L/Nk Debashish Baswal from Odisha.

According to navy sources, the automobile was a part of a small convoy of two-three autos, and the assault was doubtless a “planned ambush”.

“The terrorists had identified the area in advance and planned an ambush. They fired at one of the vehicles, which hit the diesel tank, and it caught fire,” an official stated.

It just isn’t instantly clear how far the opposite autos had been from the one which was attacked.

The assault comes amid discussions between the navy management and the federal government on a proposal to withdraw Rashtriya Rifles troops from the Valley hinterland and let the CRPF fill within the hole.

With an RR sector transferring to jap Ladakh earlier, there has already been a partial thinning of troops on this space, sources stated.

In January, Army chief General Manoj Pande had stated that whereas the counter-insurgency grid within the Valley is powerful, there have been cases of infiltration makes an attempt in areas south of the Pir Panjal vary. Rajouri sector, the place the assault happened Thursday, is south of the Pir Panjal vary.

He stated that the ceasefire settlement reached between India and Pakistan in February 2021 is holding effectively alongside the Line of Control and western borders, at the same time as cross-border assist to terrorism and terror infrastructure continues to stay a problem.

Thursday’s assault comes per week after Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on April 13, reviewed the safety state of affairs in J&Ok. He additionally reviewed the preparations of the G20 meet, scheduled to be held in Srinagar in May, and requested all companies to work in a coordinated method for the occasion’s success.

Soon after the assault, safety forces cordoned off the world and stopped motion of vehicular site visitors on the Bhimber Gali-Surankote highway. A large search operation has been launched to trace down the terrorists, officers stated, including that individuals have been suggested by the administration to take the Mendhar path to journey to Poonch.

J&Ok’s Lt Governor Manoj Sinha expressed “anguish over the loss of lives of brave Army personnel in a tragic incident in Poonch”. “Their rich services to the nation will never be forgotten,” he tweeted.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge stated the nation is united in opposition to terrorism. “Strongly condemn the terror attack on an Army vehicle in Poonch District, Jammu & Kashmir. Our deepest condolences to the families of 5 Rashtriya Rifle bravehearts. Our prayers for the injured personnel. We are united against terrorism,” he stated in a Twitter publish.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi too stated: “News of the martyrdom of 5 of our soldiers in the terror attack in Poonch is very sad. I pay my humble tributes to the heroes and express my deepest condolences to their families.”

The assault got here 18 months after terrorists killed 9 troopers within the Bhata Durian and Chamrel forests in October 2021.

Meanwhile, sources stated that the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, after a spell of peace, have began reporting motion of terrorists.

In twin terror assaults on January 1-2 this 12 months, two suspected terrorists had killed seven and injured 14 individuals in Upper Dangri village of Rajouri district. These assaults had come a fortnight after the killing of two civilians below mysterious circumstances exterior an Army camp at Muradpur close to Rajouri on December 16 final 12 months.