An army jawan was killed and two of his colleagues were injured in an attack by suspected Pakistan’s Border Action Team (BAT) which set off a mine blast and open fired on a patrol party along LoC.
“In an incident near Akhnoor a patrol of the Army was targeted by mines and small arms fire by a group of unidentified armed personnel (possibly a BAT team of Pak) yesterday”, Public Relation officer (PRO), Defence, Jammu said.
BAT, which is a mix of Pakistani special forces personnel and terrorists, carried out the brutal killing of two Indian soldiers in January last year, one of whom was beheaded, and killed five personnel along Line of Control in Poonch sector seven months later.
After Sunday’s attack, own alert troops returned effective fire and the group fled back across the LoC towards Pakistan Army post, PRO said.
In the ensuing fire fight two soldiers suffered splinter injuries (due to mine blast) and gunshot wound, while Sepoy Bhikale Uttam Balu was martyred, PRO said adding the injured jawans are under treatment and out of danger.
The injured jawans were airlifted for treatment to Military Hospital at Udhampur Northern Command.
“Injury to this effect on the fleeing personnel was not immediately known”, PRO said, adding “Search of the area yielded Pakistan made mines, and other equipment which clearly suggests involvement of Pakistan and terrorists from across the line of control”.
Soon after the attack, there was also firing from Pakistan side on forward belt in area triggering panic among the villagers and it concluded late in the evening yesterday, police officials said.
General Officer Commanding, White Knight Corps expressed his deepest condolences to the family of Sepoy Bhikale, who is survived by his wife and a daughter.
Search operations are in progress till the last report came in. “It was possibly an attack by a BAT of Pak. We are investigating into it”, a senior Army officer said.
The incident took place in Nathu Tibba forward post in Jugwan border belt of Akhnoor tehsil of Jammu district, police said.
The deceased Sepoy Bhikale, belonged to 2nd Maratha Light Infantry (MLI) and injured Havaldar Vinood Kumar is of 4-Engineers belonging to Karnataka and Amul Kumar of 2nd Engineers belonging to Kerala.
On May 18 early morning, a group of three infiltrators had entered into this side of LoC and?planted an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) near a forward post in Bhimbher Gali belt of Rajouri but alert troops foiled their attack by destroying the IED without any casualty or damage to the property.
On May 10, two militants were killed when they tried to attack a patrol party in a bid to infiltrate into Indian Territory along Line of Control (LoC) in Kalsia belt of Poonch district of J&K in which one jawan suffered injuries.
