Kathua/Jammu– Five army personnel were killed and five injured on Monday when militants ambushed their vehicle in the remote Machedi area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, officials said.
The militants hurled a grenade and opened fire targeting Army vehicles which were on a routine patrol on the Machedi-Kindli-Malhar road at around 3.30 pm near Badnota village in Lohai Malhar, 150 km from Kathua town.
“A total of 10 troopers were injured and five of them later succumbed to their injuries,” an official said.
This was the second major incident in Kathua district in the past four weeks.
On June 12 and 13, two militants and a CRPF jawan were killed in a fierce gunfight during a search and cordon operation.
The militant attack comes within a fortnight of a gunfight between militants and security forces in the Gandoh area of Doda district that left three foreign militants dead on June 26.
Jammu has witnessed a spurt in militant activities, attributed by authorities to an attempt by Pakistani handlers to revive militancy in the region and disturb the atmosphere.(PTI)
