Army jawan killed, 2 injured in suspected attack by Pakistan's Border Action Team

An army jawan was killed and two of his colleagues were injured in an attack by suspected Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) which set off a mine blast and open fired on a patrol party along LoC here. "In an incident near Akhnoor a patrol of the Army was targeted by mines and small arms fire by a group of unidentified armed personnel (possibly a BAT team of Pak) yesterday", Public Relation officer (PRO), Defence, Jammu said here today.

BAT, which is a mix of Pakistani special forces personnel and terrorists, carried out the brutal killing of two Indian soldiers in January last year, one of whom was beheaded, and killed five personnel along Line of Control in Poonch sector seven months later. After yesterday's attack, own alert troops returned effective fire and the group fled back across the LoC towards Pakistan Army post, PRO said.

In the ensuing fire fight two soldiers suffered splinter injuries (due to mine blast) and gun shot wound, while Sepoy Bhikale Uttam Balu was martyred, PRO said adding the injured jawans are under treatment and out of danger. The injured jawans were airlifted for treatment to Military Hospital at Udhampur Northern Command.

"Injury to this effect on the fleeing personnel was not immediately known", PRO said, adding "Search of the area yielded Pakistan made mines, and other equipment which clearly suggests involvement of Pakistan and terrorists from across the line of control". Soon after the attack, there was also firing from Pakistan side on forward belt in area triggering panic among the villagers and it concluded late in the evening yesterday, police officials said.

General Officer Commanding, White Knight Corps expressed his deepest condolences to the family of Sepoy Bhikale, who is survived by his wife and a daughter. Search operations are in progress till the last report came in. "It was possibly an attack by a BAT of Pakistan. We are investigating into it", a senior Army officer told.