Soldier killed in Rajouri mine blast

An army soldier was killed and two others injured in a mine blast along the Line of Control on Thursday in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district in Jammu division, said officials.

The incident took place in Kalal area, they said, and the three injured soldiers were evacuated to Command Hospital in Udhampur, where one of them, an 'agniveer' who had joined the army recently, succumbed to injuries.

Earlier, the J&K Police had said foreign intruders were active in the Rajouri-Poonch range, which remains a major challenge for the security grid this year. It had said that the number of local militants active across J&K had fallen to its lowest level of 31, 27 in Kashmir Valley and four in Kishtwar area of Jammu division.


Last year, Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi districts of Jammu witnessed a string of operations, in which 55 persons, including 20 armed forces personnel and 28 militants, were killed. The armed forces killed 76 militants across J&K in 2023, including 55 foreigners.

The forests of the Pir Panchal mountains, falling between Rajouri-Poonch range in Jammu division and Kulgam-Anantnag range in Kashmir, have witnessed heightened militant activity in the past year.