Two soldiers were martyred and four others wounded when a Jammu-bound convoy was attacked by terrorists in lower Munda area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, around 85 kilometres south of capital Srinagar on Saturday. Hizbul Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack that occurred at a time when Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat is camping in the Valley.
The attack took place near Hillar village along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway around 11 am when the convoy was heading to Jammu after leaving Srinagar headquarters. Deputy Inspector General of Police (South Kashmir Range) Soyam Prakash Pani said the terrorists opened indiscriminate fire at the Army convoy leaving at least six soldiers wounded.
The injured were immediately rushed to Army’s 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar. Two soldiers later succumbed to their injuries, said a Defence spokesman in Srinagar.
“The doctors tried their best to revive the injured soldiers but we lost them,” the spokesman said. Other injured soldiers are stable and undergoing treatment, he added.
Immediately after the attack, the security forces cordoned off Hillar and other adjoining villages to track down the attackers. However, no arrests were made from the area.
A spokesman of Hizbul Mujahideen called up a local news agency office and claimed responsibility for the attack.
The attack occurred a day after Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat chaired a high-level meeting of Army Commanders at XV Corps Headquarters to review the security situation in Kashmir. The Army chief also discussed the security issues with Governor NN Vohra on Friday evening.
While the convoy was attacked in south Kashmir, the Army chief had flown to north Kashmir where he took stock of the situation along the line of Control. During his visit to loC formations and units in north Kashmir, Gen Rawat was briefed on all aspects of operational and logistical preparedness, a Defence spokesman said.
The Army chief was appreciative of the measures put in place to meet any challenge posed by elements inimical to national security and complimented the troops for the recent successful counter infiltration operations that had delivered a major blow to terrorists, the spokesman said.