Terrorists on Saturday night attacked an Indian Air Force (IAF) convoy in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir’s Sanai Top area, reportedly four soldiers were injured and one killed in this attack. Terrorists positioned at top of the hillsides beside the road targeted this convoy, which was making its way from Jaranwalli Gali to Shahistar Top, the location of the IAF’s base.
The last car was hit by the terrorists, stopping it, according to sources, and they then opened fire on the convoy from the flanks. It is said that in a fifteen-minute period, about two hundred rounds were shot at the car. But the terrorists were forced to retreat into the surrounding woodlands by the IAF personnel’s swift reprisal.
No terrorist organization has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. However, it is speculated, based on reports, that the perpetrators are familiar with the area’s terrain and may have been involved in previous attacks on security forces since last year.
Following the attack, all injured soldiers were swiftly evacuated and transported to Udhampur Command Hospital for treatment. Tragically, one of the five Indian Air Force personnel succumbed to his injuries. Corporal Vikky Pahade, a 33-year-old soldier from Chhindwara district, Madhya Pradesh, and a resident of Nonia-Karbal village, who joined the unit on April 18 of this year, was among those injured.
In a tribute, the IAF, through its official communication platform X (formerly Twitter), expressed its condolences to Corporal Vikky Pahade’s family and honored his sacrifice, stating, “The CAS Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and all personnel of Indian Air Force salute the braveheart Corporal Vikky Pahade, who made the supreme sacrifice in Poonch Sector, in the service of the nation Our deepest condolences to the bereaved family. We stand firmly by your side in this hour of grief.”
Security measures in the Poonch district have been heightened following the attack. Security forces have initiated searches in the vicinity and have detained six locals for interrogation. Aerial surveillance has also been initiated in the hills of Shahsitar, Lassana Top, Sanai Top, Gursai, Sheendhara Top, and surrounding areas to monitor terrorist movements, believed to number four.
Investigators suspect that the terrorists received logistical support from locals and utilized US-made M4 rifles and AK-47 assault rifles in the attack.