Srinagar: A terrorist ambush on a military truck near the Nagin area of Botapathri, along the Line of Control (LoC) and 11 kilometers from Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, resulted in the deaths of two soldiers from the 18 Rashtriya Rifles and two porters on Thursday evening.
Additionally, three more soldiers and two porters sustained injuries in this incident, marking the fourth attack since the new coalition government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took office in Jammu and Kashmir on October 16. Despite the three-phase assembly elections held from September 18 to October 1 concluding without major violence, the region has seen a rise in terrorist attacks and counterterrorism operations this year. This recent incident brings the total fatalities among security forces to 24 since May 4 in the Jammu region, and six in Kashmir, with at least 20 terrorists also reported killed.
“This surge in violence is alarming and deserves unconditional condemnation,” CM Omar stated, extending condolences to the families of the victims and wishing for the swift recovery of the injured.
Earlier in the day, a barber from Uttar Pradesh was wounded in Pulwama district, and on Sunday, seven employees of a tunnel-construction company were killed in Ganderbal district. Additionally, a 30-year-old migrant worker from Bihar was abducted and murdered in Shopian district last Friday.
The ambush on the Baramulla military convoy mirrors previous attacks on J&K forces, including an incident on May 4 in Poonch that resulted in the death of Corporal Vikky Pahade, and a July 8 ambush in Kathua district that killed four soldiers and a J&K police constable. Similar attacks last year in Poonch and Rajouri claimed the lives of nine soldiers, including two captains.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti condemned the recent attacks and expressed hopes for the rapid recovery of the wounded. The ambush occurred between two security checkpoints on the route to Botapathri, just 5 kilometers from the LoC, raising concerns about security in the region.
