New Delhi: Caught by surprise when heavily armed men ambushed their convoy but quickly recovered, jawans of 22 Garhwal regiment fired more than 5,100 rounds to protect their wounded colleagues and forced the terrorists to retreat to the forested hills of Kathua, officials said.
Two days after the terrorist attack that killed five army personnel and injured five in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials began to reconstruct the events: what happened when the ambush took place and in the more than two hours of Continuous gunfire followed before reinforcements arrived. He came in.
The terrorists opened fire on two army vehicles on the Machedi-Kindli-Malhar mountain road near Badnota village, about 150 km from Kathua district headquarters in the Jammu region. Soldiers facing a heavy barrage of bullets fought hard, firing incessantly to prevent further casualties and prevent the terrorists from taking their weapons and inflicting further damage.
Officials are examining evidence at the scene — blood-stained helmets, bullet casings and vehicles with broken windshields and flat tires — and talking to wounded soldiers to understand how that fateful afternoon of July 8 unfolded.
The terrorists, believed to be a group of three, positioned themselves at two different locations and attacked the army vehicles and men, an informed official said.
The attack, the fifth in Jammu in a month and signaling an escalation of violence in a relatively peaceful region compared to the Kashmir Valley, began around 3:30 p.m.
“Despite facing grueling physical and mental challenges, soldiers of the Garhwal regiment of the Indian Army unleashed a volley of 5,189 rounds on the terrorists, forcing them to flee the scene,” an official said.
The injured jawans are undergoing treatment at the military hospital in Pathankot.
Among them is Rifleman Kartik Singh. His right arm was pierced in several places by shrapnel from a grenade thrown by terrorists, but he did not flinch and he continued shooting with his left arm until his gun jammed.
His was just one of the stories of bravery.
"The soldiers showed unwavering bravery and selfless dedication to duty, even in the face of serious injuries," an official said.
"The precise and relentless counterfire spread panic among the terrorists who were forced to retreat and allowed reinforcements to be sent to secure the area," he added.
The dead were Naib Subedar Anand Singh, Havildar Kamal Singh, Naik Vinod Singh, Rifleman Anuj Negi and Rifleman Adarsh Negi, all from Uttarakhand.
The soldiers were led by junior officer Naib Subedar Anand Singh. While counter-attacking, the 22 men of the Garhwal regiment shouted the war cry "Badri Vishal Ki Jai" (Victory to the sons of Lord Badrinath).
"Despite suffering initial setbacks and injuries, the brave soldiers of the Garhwal regiment embodied their motto 'Yudhaya Krit Nishchaya' (fight with determination) and stood firm for over two hours," an official said.
The Kashmir Tigers, a shadow group of the banned Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), have claimed responsibility for the attack.
On Tuesday, a day after the terror attack, even as operations continued in Kathua, fresh gunfight broke out in Doda district following a search and cordon operation based on specific intelligence about the presence of at least three foreign terrorists.
The search for the absconding terrorists has been expanded to cover vast areas in Udhampur and Kathua districts, with Special Forces deployed to conduct surgical operations against the ultras, officials said.
The Jammu region has been rocked by a series of recent ambushes and terrorist attacks, particularly in the border districts of Poonch, Rajouri, Doda and Reasi.
Two days after the terrorist attack that killed five army personnel and injured five in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials began to reconstruct the events: what happened when the ambush took place and in the more than two hours of Continuous gunfire followed before reinforcements arrived. He came in.
The terrorists opened fire on two army vehicles on the Machedi-Kindli-Malhar mountain road near Badnota village, about 150 km from Kathua district headquarters in the Jammu region. Soldiers facing a heavy barrage of bullets fought hard, firing incessantly to prevent further casualties and prevent the terrorists from taking their weapons and inflicting further damage.
Officials are examining evidence at the scene — blood-stained helmets, bullet casings and vehicles with broken windshields and flat tires — and talking to wounded soldiers to understand how that fateful afternoon of July 8 unfolded.
The terrorists, believed to be a group of three, positioned themselves at two different locations and attacked the army vehicles and men, an informed official said.
The attack, the fifth in Jammu in a month and signaling an escalation of violence in a relatively peaceful region compared to the Kashmir Valley, began around 3:30 p.m.
“Despite facing grueling physical and mental challenges, soldiers of the Garhwal regiment of the Indian Army unleashed a volley of 5,189 rounds on the terrorists, forcing them to flee the scene,” an official said.
The injured jawans are undergoing treatment at the military hospital in Pathankot.
Among them is Rifleman Kartik Singh. His right arm was pierced in several places by shrapnel from a grenade thrown by terrorists, but he did not flinch and he continued shooting with his left arm until his gun jammed.
His was just one of the stories of bravery.
"The soldiers showed unwavering bravery and selfless dedication to duty, even in the face of serious injuries," an official said.
"The precise and relentless counterfire spread panic among the terrorists who were forced to retreat and allowed reinforcements to be sent to secure the area," he added.
The dead were Naib Subedar Anand Singh, Havildar Kamal Singh, Naik Vinod Singh, Rifleman Anuj Negi and Rifleman Adarsh Negi, all from Uttarakhand.
The soldiers were led by junior officer Naib Subedar Anand Singh. While counter-attacking, the 22 men of the Garhwal regiment shouted the war cry "Badri Vishal Ki Jai" (Victory to the sons of Lord Badrinath).
"Despite suffering initial setbacks and injuries, the brave soldiers of the Garhwal regiment embodied their motto 'Yudhaya Krit Nishchaya' (fight with determination) and stood firm for over two hours," an official said.
The Kashmir Tigers, a shadow group of the banned Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), have claimed responsibility for the attack.
On Tuesday, a day after the terror attack, even as operations continued in Kathua, fresh gunfight broke out in Doda district following a search and cordon operation based on specific intelligence about the presence of at least three foreign terrorists.
The search for the absconding terrorists has been expanded to cover vast areas in Udhampur and Kathua districts, with Special Forces deployed to conduct surgical operations against the ultras, officials said.
The Jammu region has been rocked by a series of recent ambushes and terrorist attacks, particularly in the border districts of Poonch, Rajouri, Doda and Reasi.
