J&K: 5 Soldiers Killed, Bodies Of 2 Found Mutilated In Ambush. LeT Offshoot Owns Attack

Five soldiers were killed while two others were left injured after heavily-armed terrorists ambushed two Army vehicles in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Thursday, reported news agency PTI citing officials said. They added that the bodies of two of the slain soldiers were mutilated. The personnel were going to the site of a cordon-and-search operation and their vehicle was attacked at a blind curve at Dhatyar Morh between Dhera Ki Gali and Bufliaz at around 3.45 pm, officials said, as quoted by PTI.

The People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), an offshoot of Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility for the deadly ambush.

Former Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir — Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mehbooba Mufti — strongly condemned the attack.

Here’s What Happened 

Jammu-based defence PRO Lieutenant Colonel Suneel Bartwal said that a joint search operation was launched in the general area of Dhera Ki Gali in the Thanamandi-Surankote region of Poonch on Wednesday night based on “hard intelligence” about the presence of terrorists. As additional forces were moving to the site, the ultras fired upon the Army vehicles — a truck and a Maruti Gypsy. According to PTI, a defence spokesperson said the troops swiftly responded to the attack.

Officials said that five soldiers were killed and two were injured in the encounter and the injured have been admitted to a hospital.

Bodies Mutilated, Hand-To-Hand Combat May Have Taken Place

According to PTI, officials said the bodies of the two of the killed soldiers were found to be mutilated. Disturbing images and videos emerged from the site showing blood on the street, broken helmets of soldiers and shattered windscreens of the two Army vehicles, the agency added.

The officials have not ruled out the possibility of hand-to-hand combat between the soldiers and the terrorists during the intense confrontation. They added that it was very likely that the terrorists had walked away with the arms of the targeted soldiers.

Meanwhile, authorities are working to gather more information on the attack.

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