IED blast toll two

SRINAGAR: Another soldier who was injured in the IED blast in Pulwama district on Monday, has succumbed to injuries taking the death toll of Army personnel to two.

Nine soldiers and two civilians were injured as militants targeted an Army patrol with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at Arihal in Pulwama district on Monday, a day after Pakistan shared an intelligence input regarding a possible attack similar to February 14.

While one of the soldiers, who while driving the vehicle showed exemplary grit and courage to minimise the damage, thus foiling the terror attempt has attained martyrdom last night, another jawan succumbed to his injuries later, a defence spokesman said.

"Two soldiers, brought to hospital with severe contusions and concussions, have succumbed to their injuries at 92 Base Hospital," Colonel Rajesh Kalia said.

Sharing brief details of martyrs, he said, “On June 17, Havildar Amarjeet Kumar & Naik Ajit Kumar Sahoo sustained injuries in an IED blast in Arihal village of Pulwama District.

“The duo was provided immediate first aid and evacuated to 92 Base Hospital but unfortunately they succumbed to their injuries, he said.

Col Kalia said, “Havildar Amarjeet Kumar (35) had joined the Army in 2005 and hailed from Village Dighawlia in Siwan District of Bihar.”

He is survived by his wife and two sons.

“Late Naik Ajit Kumar Sahoo was 27 years old and hailed from Village Badasuanalo in Dhenknal District of Odisha. He had joined the Army in 2015 and is survived by his parents,” Kalia said.

On Monday, he had sought to play down the attack saying it was a "failed attempt" and except for a "few minor injuries, all troops were safe".

"A failed attempt was made to attack a mobile vehicle patrol of 44 RR with a Vehicle Based IED while the Army patrol was moving in the general area Arihal in district Pulwama today evening," the spokesman had said in a statement.

He said the reports of attack on an Army convoy are "unfounded and baseless".

"Troops all safe. Few minor injuries," the defence spokesman said, adding that the damage was minimised due to the alertness of the patrol party.

Officials had said the multi-vehicle patrol of the 44 Rashtriya Rifles was moving on Arihal-Pulwama road around 6 pm. When the army vehicle reached adjacent to the explosive-laden car parked on the roadside, the IED was detonated by the militants, injuring the personnel travelling in a bullet-and-mine-proof Casper vehicle. However, the army clarified that the damaged vehicle was not a Casper, but an Ashok Leyland Stallion truck.

The site of the blast is 27 kms from the area where a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a suicide bomber on February 14 in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.

The attack on an army vehicle by exploding an IED placed inside a car comes just a few days after Pakistan shared an intelligence input with India that terrorists were planning to carry out a vehicle-based explosive attack on security forces in south Kashmir.

The input had said Al Qaeda terrorists were planning to avenge the killing of Zakir Musa, chief of Ansar Ghazwatul Hind (AGH), a proclaimed Al-Qaeda affiliate, by the security forces.