Punjab Newsline, Kathua, July 8-
Five army personnel were killed and five injured on Monday in an ambush by terrorists in the remote Machedi area of Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district. The attack occurred at around 3:30 pm when terrorists hurled a grenade and opened fire on army vehicles patrolling the Machedi-Kindli-Malhar road near Badnota village, about 150 km from Kathua town.
Security forces returned fire, but the terrorists fled into the nearby forest. Reinforcements have been dispatched to neutralise the terrorists, who are believed to have recently infiltrated from across the border.
This incident marks the second major attack in Kathua district in the past four weeks. On June 12-13, two terrorists and a CRPF jawan were killed in a gunfight during a search operation. On June 26, three foreign terrorists were killed in a gunfight in Doda district. The spurt in terror activities in Jammu is seen as an attempt by Pakistani handlers to revive terrorism in the region and disrupt the peace.