KathuaEncounterUpdate: 5 soldiers martyred, 5 injured; Kashmir Tigers took responsibility for the attack

In Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, a terrorist ambush on an army patrol resulted in the martyrdom of a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and four other soldiers. Five soldiers were critically injured and have been transferred from the Billawar Community Health Center in Kathua to the Pathankot Military Hospital late at night.Security forces have cordoned off the entire area, and operations continued into the night. It is believed that three heavily armed terrorists carried out the attack, having recently infiltrated from across the border.

The Pakistan-based terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed’s front group, Kashmir Tigers, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The incident occurred on Monday around 3:30 PM near the Jenda Nala in Badnota village in Billawar, when the terrorists attacked a vehicle of the 22 Garhwal Rifles. The vehicle was on patrol and carried ten soldiers. The terrorists first threw grenades before starting indiscriminate firing. It is suspected that they used steel bullets. The army personnel retaliated, but the terrorists managed to flee into the dense forest. Reports suggest the terrorists were positioned in elevated terrain and started firing before the soldiers could react. They attacked the drivers first to minimize the chances of escape.