India: Two soldiers, two porters dead as terrorists target army vehicle near LoC in Gulmarg

Two Indian Army soldiers and two porters were killed Thursday (Oct 24) after their vehicle was attacked by terrorists near Botpathri in Gulmarg, Kashmir, close to the Line of Control (LoC), the de-facto border between India and Pakistan. The vehicle belonged to the 18 Rashtriya Rifles (RR).

The vehicle was on the way from Botpathri when the terrorists launched an attack.

One terrorist has also sustained injury. Police have confirmed the incident in a statement.

The two killed civilian porters have been identified as Mushtaq Ahmed Choudhary R/o Nowshehra Boniyar, Baramulla, and Zahoor Ahmad Mir R/o Barnate Boniyar, Baramulla. Further information is awaited.

Responding to the incident, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti took to X and wrote, “Shocked & deeply saddened by the militant attack on an army convoy in Baramulla in which a civilian porter has been killed. Condemn it unequivocally & pray for the swift recovery of the injured soldiers.”

The attack came hours after J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and presented a cabinet resolution advocating for the reinstatement of J&K’s statehood.

Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a drastic surge in terror attacks over the past few months. On Oct 20, terrorists waged a deadly attack at a construction site in Ganderbal, killing at least seven people, including six labourers.

The attackers, believed to be two, opened indiscriminate fire on the group, comprising both locals and non-locals.

Two labourers died on the spot, whereas the doctor and four other labourers were pronounced dead later. Five people were critically injured and are undergoing treatment now.

According to media reports, the attack was carried out by the terrorist group The Resistance Front (TRF), which is an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

In a similar attack on October 18, a migrant worker from Bihar was killed in Shopian district.

The bullet-riddled body of the worker was found by locals in the Waduna area of Zainapora in Shopian.

Later, officials identified the victim as Ashok Chauhan, who was living in the Sangam area of Anantnag.