Just a day after one Army jawan was killed in Pakistan firing in neighbouring Poonch district, one woman was killed and 19 others, including two Army jawans were injured in a failed terrorist ambush on Army convoy near Thannamandi of Rajouri district in Jammu on Wednesday morning.
Defence sources maintained that the terrorists probably hiding in the maize fields ambushed Army convoy near Dera ki Gali in Thannamandi of Rajouri district when it was on its way to Rajouri from Poonch. While the terrorists were spraying bullets aiming at convoy, a civilian bus, with 30 people on board, passing through the route came in the way. The bus was on its way to Jammu from Poonch.
This resulted into civilian casualties including one fatal casualty of a woman identified as Kiran Bala of Poonch. Two Army jawans identified as Sepoy Dilip and Sepoy K.P. Singh too sustained injuries. They were shifted to Army Hospital. The driver of the bus Rajesh Kumar displaying both the presence of mind and exemplary courage drove the bus to safety even risking his life amid the heavy firing from terrorists but by then the bullets had hit many a passenger.
While Kiran Bala succumbed to her injuries at the spot, two other critically injured out of 17 civilians namely Gul Begum of Thannamandi and Irfan Ahmed of Poonch were airlifted to the Government Medical College hospital in Jammu. Sources maintained that the attack was aimed at the jeep in the convoy where in officiating Commanding Officer of Rashtriya Rifles was travelling. The officer, however, escaped unhurt.
Initially the Army personnel did not retaliate fearing more loss of civilian lives caught in cross-firing yet later they did and also launched intense search operation which, as per the sources, was being hampered by thick growth of standing maize crop.
SSP Rajouri R.K. Jalla later maintained that the terrorists fired at the bus mistaking the passengers as soldiers.