An Indian Army patrol team was ambushed by a group of heavily-armed intruders from Pakistan near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Sunday, killing three soldiers and seriously injuring a fourth.
The incident took place at about 1.45 pm.
A senior army officer said the ambush appeared to have been carried out by Pakistan’s Border Action Team, or BAT, that had crossed into India.
“The intruders had come inside our territory and ambushed our patrol. Our soldiers immediately took positions and eliminated two BAT members,” the officer said.
BAT comprises regular Pakistani soldiers and terrorists to carry out cross border operations in an effort to dominate the line of control and inflict losses on Indian army and paramilitary forces.
Pakistan army’s Special Services Group forms the core of BAT which has been involved in several incidents on the Indian side of the border, often supported by firing from Pakistan posts.
The three soldiers, residents of Jammu and Kashmir, have been identified by the army as Havildar Kaushal Kumar of Nowshera, Lance Naik Ranjeet Singh of Doda and Rifleman Rajat Kumar Basan of Pallanwala. The injured soldier is Rifleman Rakesh Kumar of Samba.
“The Indian Army in Sunderbani Sector on the Line of Control had a fierce encounter with heavily armed Pakistani intruders very close to the Line of Control. The patrol killed two intruders and recovered warlike stores including two AK-47 rifles,” Jammu-based defence spokesperson Lt Col Devender Anand said.
Lt Col. Anand said other Indian posts had also acted and effectively cordoned the area. “The search and destroy operation is in progress,” he said.
There have been numerous incidents of Pakistan’s BAT squads crossing the border to carry out gruesome attacks, often even mutilating the bodies of the soldiers.
On September 18, one such BAT action had taken place at Ramgarh sector of Samba district where BSF jawan Narendra Kumar was abducted and butchered by Pak’s BAT.
Kumar’s throat was slit and his eyes gouged out.
Jaish-e-Mohammed on October 18 released pictures of Kumar’s belongings on social media that included his bullet proof jacket, five magazines INSAS rifle and his mobile phone.
Appalled by Kumar’s brutal killing India cancelled a meeting of the foreign ministers on the sidelines of UNGA summit in New York.
First Published: Oct 21, 2018 17:35 IST
Source: HindustanTimes