Air Force soldier killed, 4 injured in terror attack in JK’s Poonch

One soldier was killed and four injured when terrorists ambushed an Indian Air Force (IAF) convoy in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, three weeks before the elections in Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency.

Poonch is part of the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency, which goes to polls in the sixth phase on May 25.

Officials said five security personnel were injured, two of them seriously, when four terrorists opened fire on IAF vehicles heading to Sanai Top in Surankot area of ​​Poonch in the evening.

One of the seriously injured soldiers later succumbed during treatment at a military hospital, they said.

“An Indian Air Force vehicle convoy was attacked by militants in JK’s Poonch district near Shahsitar. Cordon and search operations are currently underway in the area by local military units.

“The convoy has been secured and further investigations are underway,” the IAF said in a message on

“In the ensuing exchange of fire with terrorists, the Air Warriors fought back by firing back. In the process, five IAF personnel sustained bullet injuries and were evacuated to the nearest military hospital for immediate medical attention. One Air Warrior later succumbed to his injuries. Further operations are underway carried out by local security forces,” another post said.

The terror attack took place around 6.15 pm when the troops were returning to the air force station from Jaranwali.

Officials suspect the involvement of the same group of terrorists who ambushed troops in neighboring Bufliaz on December 21 last year, killing four soldiers and wounding three.

One of the trucks in the IAF convoy bore the brunt of the attack, with several bullets hitting the windshield and side. The terrorists, who were armed with AK assault rifles, are believed to have fled into nearby forests, officials said.

Army and police reinforcements have been rushed to the area and a massive search and cordon operation has been launched to track down and neutralize the terrorists, they said, adding that there has been no contact with the fleeing terrorists.

Police, assisted by paramilitary forces, conducted searches in Poonch town since Friday following reports of the movement of suspicious persons. However, no one was arrested during the operation, officials said.

The border district of Poonch and adjoining Rajouri have witnessed several major terrorist attacks in the last two years, signaling the return of terror activities in the region, which was once free from terrorism and remained peaceful between 2003 and 2021.

The latest incident in Pir Panjal region follows the killing of government employee Mohd Razaq, brother of an army personnel, by terrorists in Rajouri’s Kunda Top on April 22 and village defense guard Mohd Sharief in Basantgarh area of ​​Udhampur on April 28.

Police released photographs of two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists, including suspected Pakistani national Abu Hamza, involved in Razaq’s killing and announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for information leading to his arrest .

The Bufliaz ambush in December last year came weeks after a major gun battle in the Dharmsal belt of the Bajimaal forest in Rajouri in which five army personnel, including two captains, were killed.

Two terrorists, including top LeT commander Quari, were also killed during the two-day gunfight. Quari is believed to have masterminded several attacks, including the deaths of ten civilians and five army personnel in the district.

The stretch between Dhera Ki Gali and Bufliaz on the Rajouri-Poonch border is densely forested and leads to the Chamrer forest and then the Bhata Dhurian forest, where five soldiers were killed in an ambush on an army vehicle on April 20 last year.

In May last year, another five army personnel were killed and a senior officer was injured in Chamrer forest during an anti-terrorist operation. A foreign terrorist was also killed during the operation.

In 2022, five army personnel were killed when terrorists carried out a suicide attack on their camp at Pargal in the Darhal area of ​​Rajouri district. Both terrorists involved in the attack were eliminated.

In 2021, nine soldiers were killed in two attacks by terrorists in the forested region. While five army personnel, including a junior non-commissioned officer (JCO), were killed in Chamrer on October 11, a JCO and three soldiers were killed in a nearby forest on October 14.