Terrorists Attack in Kathua District of J& K
In a tragic incident on Monday afternoon, five Army personnel lost their lives and six others were injured after terrorists ambushed a military convoy in the remote Machedi area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district. The convoy was on a routine patrol along the Machedi-Kindli-Malhar road, approximately 150 kilometres from Kathua, when the attack occurred.
According to officials, the terrorists first threw a grenade at the convoy and then opened fire. The security forces retaliated, but the terrorists managed to escape into the nearby forest. The injured soldiers have been transported to a hospital for treatment.
In response to the Terrorists attack, reinforcements were rushed to the area, and a search operation was launched to locate the terrorists. Officials reported intermittent firing between the security forces and the terrorists as the search continued.
This Terrorists attack is the second assault on the Indian Army in the Jammu region within the last 48 hours. On Sunday, an Army camp in Rajouri district was attacked, resulting in one soldier being injured.
The Terrorists attack on the convoy follows a series of encounters in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district. Over the weekend, six terrorists and two soldiers were killed in two separate encounters in the region. These encounters began on Saturday and involved coordinated operations by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Army, and local police based on intelligence about terrorist presence.
The first encounter occurred in Modergam village, where a para-trooper was fatally wounded in the initial exchange of gunfire. The operation escalated into a full-scale assault on a house where the terrorists had taken shelter. By late Saturday night, security forces had destroyed the house and recovered the bodies of two terrorists.
Simultaneously, a fierce gun battle unfolded in Kulgam’s Frisal area, where drone footage revealed the bodies of four terrorists after a prolonged firefight. One soldier was killed, and another was injured during this encounter.
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The terrorists killed in Frisal were identified as Yawar Bashir Dar, Zahid Ahmad Dar, Tawheed Ahmad Rather, and Shakeel Ahmad Wani. The two terrorists killed in Modergam were identified as Faisal and Adil. The para commando and Lance Naik Pradeep Nain were killed in action in Modergam, while Havaldar Raj Kumar of  1 Rashtriya Rifles was killed in action in Frisal.
In a separate incident in Rajouri district, there were reports of firing near an army camp. One soldier was injured, and initial reports suggested an attempted overnight terror attack on the Manjakote army camp. However, the army has yet to confirm these details.
On Sunday, security agency sources revealed that a Pakistan-based operative of the Resistance Front, a unit of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, was behind the recent spike in terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir. The operative, identified as Saifullah Sajid Jatt from Shangamanga village in Pakistan’s Punjab province, is considered a “hardcore terrorist” by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which has placed a bounty of ₹10 lakh on his head.
Jammu and Kashmir have witnessed a string of Terrorists attacks over the past few months. Last month, terrorists opened fire on a bus carrying pilgrims, causing the vehicle to plunge into a gorge in Reasi district, resulting in nine fatalities. Days later, two armed terrorists entered a village and opened fire, leading to a gunfight with security forces that left a CRPF personnel dead and the terrorists shot.
Additionally, three terrorists were killed in a gunfight with security forces in the Gandoh area of Doda district last month. These terrorists were believed to have been involved in recent Terrorists attacks on the Army and police in the Kashmir Valley. A significant cache of arms and ammunition, including US-made M4 carbines, was recovered during this operation.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently stated in Parliament that the fight against terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir is in its “last stage” and that a multi-pronged strategy is being implemented to eliminate the remaining terror network. “Our fight against terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, in a way, is in the last stage, last leg. We are moving with a multi-pronged strategy to eliminate the remaining terror network there,” PM Modi said.
As the security forces continue their operations, the situation in Jammu and Kashmir remains tense, with ongoing efforts to restore peace and stability in the region.
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