Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was briefed by Army Chief General Manoj Pande on the death of five soldiers in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, defence sources said on Thursday.

According to sources, the army jawans on the ground were keeping a watch on the situation and taking appropriate action. Earlier in the day, army jawans said a fire in an army truck in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of five personnel, was caused by grenades lobbed by terrorists.

The army released a statement on the incident, saying the vehicle was fired upon by terrorists after which it erupted in flames after grenades were lobbed by the terrorists.

“An Army vehicle moving between Bhimber Gali and Poonch in the Rajouri sector in J-K was fired upon by unidentified terrorists today. The vehicle caught fire, due to the likely use of grenades by terrorists,” the army said in its statement.

“Five personnel of the Rashtriya Rifles Unit deployed for Counter Terrorist operations, in this area, have unfortunately lost their lives in the incident,” it added.

Another soldier, who sustained serious injuries, was evacuated immediately and rushed to the Army Hospital at Rajouri. He is currently under treatment.

A search operation has been launched to nab the attackers, the army informed further.

Earlier this day, Defence PRO said, “Today, at about 1500 hours, one vehicle of Indian Army, while moving from Bhimber Gali to Sangiot in District Poonch (J-K), caught fire. In this tragic incident, Five Soldiers of the Indian Army have lost their life.”

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