At least four Indian Army soldiers were martyred and five others were grievously injured in yet another provocative terror strike on an Army vehicle near Badnota village of Machhedi under the jurisdiction of Lohai Malhar block in Billawar tehsil of Kathua district on Monday. The area falls under the 9 Corps of the Indian Army.

The attack took place a month after a group of foreign terrorists targeted a pilgrim bus in which nine civilians were killed and 41 others were injured in the Reasi district on June 9. A similar attack was attempted on an Army post by another group of terrorists in the frontier Rajouri district early on Sunday morning. However, the same was repulsed by one of the alert troopers manning the periphery of the Army installation.

According to preliminary reports, a group of terrorists pitched atop a prominent hill feature targeted the Army vehicle by first hurling a grenade and later opening indiscriminate firing to inflict maximum casualties.

The terrorists also took advantage of the foggy weather and poor road conditions before targeting the Army vehicle. During the heavy exchange of firing several soldiers were badly hit. The fate of terrorists could not be known immediately as the anti-terrorist operation was still going on in the thickly forested area.

Confirming the firing incident, a spokesman of the Jammu and Kashmir police in a brief statement said, "Exchange of fire between terrorists and security forces going on in the Machedi area of Kathua district. Two Army personnel were injured in the initial round of firing. A massive search operation has been launched". Meanwhile, additional troops have been rushed to the spot to plug the escape routes and neutralise the terrorists.

Senior police and Army officers were supervising the ongoing operation. The Army authorities have issued an advisory to the residents in the area to remain indoors and not to venture out to prevent injuries in the heavy exchange of gunfire.

A day after gunning down six terrorists in two back-to-back encounters in the South Kashmir district of Kulgam Brigadier Prithviraj Chauhan, Commander 1 sec RR, on Monday claimed the security forces have inflicted a big blow to the Pro-Pakistan terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen in the Valley.

The killing of six terrorists in South Kashmir is a significant blow to Hizbul Mujahideen,” he said.

The security forces are also investigating the role of the locals in sheltering the terrorists inside their homes. During the routine searches, the security forces stumbled upon a well-fortified concrete hideout concealed behind a wardrobe in a civilian residence situated in the Chinnigam Frisal area of Kulgam.

The senior Army officer also paid tributes to the martyred soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty during the twin encounters.

Briefing media persons, Brigadier Chauhan said after concluding the operation, we found and promptly destroyed an IED weighing approximately 6 kilogram, keeping collateral damage in mind.

Speaking on the Modergam encounter, Javed Ahmad Matoo, DIG South Kashmir, said two terrorists were killed in the second operation. “Adil, who had multiple FIRs against him in different police stations, was killed in one operation. The second encounter took place in the Chinnigam area based on specific information, resulting in the killing of four terrorists.

Among them was Yavar Bashir Dar, a Category ‘A’ terrorist. The others were identified as Tauheed Ahmed, Shakeel Ahmed Wani, and Zahir Ahmad Dar. A significant cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from the encounter site. Both locations had hideouts that the terrorists had been using for a considerable time,” Matoo said.