At least seven members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) organisation were involved in the Poonch terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, which resulted in the deaths of five Rashtriya Rifles soldiers and injured one more. The Indian Army has suffered losses in four incidents in the Poonch-Rajouri region.
The event occurred in a heavily forested area on the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC), 7 kilometres from Bhimber Gali. The existence of militants from Pakistan in the vicinity was confirmed by well-informed intelligence. The jihadists were waiting for a convoy to be ambushed while they were concealed in the jungle.
According to inputs from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the terrorists used rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles against the RR jawans travelling in the truck.
It’s still not clear whether the truck got fire through the direct RPG hit or was set on fire by terrorists after the gunning down the Indian troopers.
While Nagrota-based 16 Core has launched a massive manhunt for the terrorists in the sector, the incident has direct links to Pakistan’s opposition to the G20 event in Srinagar in May. Over the past month, the Pakistan government has asked G20 members, particularly its ‘iron-brother’ China, to boycott the event.
“The incident has been deliberately planned by the Pakistani-deep state to instigate violence in Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh. and deliberately spread fear among the delegate attending the G20 event,” said a senior J&K official.