Army jawan, civilian injured as troops foil twin terror attacks in J&K’s Rajouri, search ops underway

NEW DELHI: A soldier and a civilian were injured as security forces foiled twin terror attacks on an Army post and the house of a Village Defence Group (VDG) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district early Monday, officials said.

A cordon and search operation is underway to trace the terrorists, they said.

The area was cordoned off by a joint team of the Army, police, Central Reserve Police Force and VDGs following intermittent exchanges of fire with terrorists throughout the day, they said.

“Terrorists attacked the house of a VDG member at Gunda, Rajouri at 0310 hours. An adjacent Army column reacted swiftly, leading to a firefight,” the Army’s White Knight Corps said on X. Operations are ongoing, it said.

The Army acted preemptively based on intelligence, anticipating a threat to a village defence guard in a remote area of Rajouri-Reasi, it said.

“Tactical teams swiftly intervened, ensuring the safety of the VDG member and his family,” it said.

The officials said the terrorists first opened fire on the house of the VDG member in the Gundha area of Khawas tehsil. As the security personnel returned fire, the terrorists lobbed grenades.

Around 4 am, the terrorists attacked a newly established Army post in the area, resulting in a fresh exchange of fire, they said.

The troops successfully thwarted the attack and launched a cordon and search operation in the area, leading to another firefight, officials said.

“A major terrorist attack on an Army picket in a remote village of Rajouri has been thwarted. Firing is ongoing and operations are in progress,” an Army spokesperson said.

In the attacks, a jawan and a civilian, a relative of the VDG member, sustained minor injuries and were hospitalised, the officials said.

According to reports, a terrorist had been killed but the body was yet to be recovered.

Additional reinforcements have been dispatched to the area to strengthen the cordon to prevent terrorists from escaping, the officials said.

The twin attacks triggered panic among the locals.

“We are terrified after this attack, which was the first in several years in this peaceful area. The firing began around 3 am,” said a villager.

Another villager said it was time to rearm the VDGs with modern weapons and communication technology to take on the terrorists operating in the hills of Jammu.

This was the 14th terror attack in the Jammu region. Ten security personnel and nine pilgrims have been killed and 58 people injured in these attacks. Five terrorists were neutralised by the security forces.