Army ambulance attack in J&K: All 3 terrorists killed

JAMMU : Security forces gunned down Tuesday two more terrorists in an overnight seek-and-kill operation following an attack the previous morning on an ambulance that was part of an Army convoy moving through Battal Keri-Jogwan near the LoC in Akhnoor , 28km from Jammu city.

The Army’s White Knight Corps confirmed the killing of all three terrorists involved in the attack near a Shiva temple. One of them was shot dead in counterfire soon after the group ringed the ambulance with a volley of gunshots early Monday.

Military dog Phantom died in the initial assault; no soldiers were wounded, including the two in the ambulance.

Men drawn from Special Forces, NSG, and J&K police laid a cordon through the night. The forces relied on advanced hardware such as BMP-II Infantry Combat Vehicle, along with helicopters, drones and sniffer dogs, to move quickly and locate the hiding terrorists in the forest.

The two were tracked down early Tuesday, setting off an intense shootout that ended with their killing. Their identities — if they are Pakistanis — are being ascertained. AK-47 assault rifles, IEDs, and other “warlike stores” were found at the site.

The forces have eliminated at least 23 terrorists amid an ongoing surge in attacks since May that has also resulted in 24 security fatalities in J&K as of Oct 24 — 18 in Jammu region and six in Kashmir.

Surveillance and patrolling have been intensified in the forested areas of Rajouri and Poonch districts bordering Pakistan in view of the delay in snowfall across the upper regions and isolated passes of the Pir Panjal range.

According to an official, the current weather creates a window for terrorists to move through the terrain without the usual obstacles of a snow-covered landscape. “With winter approaching, there may be increased attempts to cross the border. However, our forces remain fully equipped and prepared to thwart any such infiltration efforts,” the official said.