Taken by surprise when heavily armed men ambushed their convoy but quickly gathering themselves, jawans of the 22 Garhwal regiment fired more than 5,100 rounds
Soldiers Fired 5,189 Rounds, Forced Terrorists To Retreat
Taken by surprise when heavily armed men ambushed their convoy but quickly gathering themselves, jawans of the 22 Garhwal regiment fired more than 5,100 rounds to protect their injured colleagues and forced the terrorists to retreat into Kathua’s wooded hills, officials said. Two days after the terror attack that killed five Army personnel and injured five in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, officials began piecing together the events – of what happened when the ambush took place and in the more than two hours of continuous gunfire that followed before reinforcements came in.
The terrorists opened fire on two Army vehicles on the Machedi-Kindli-Malhar mountain road near Badnota village, about 150 km from the district headquarters of Kathua in Jammu region. The soldiers facing heavy a barrage of bullets put up a stiff fight, firing incessantly to prevent more casualties and stop the terrorists from seizing their weapons and inflicting further harm.
Officials are looking at the evidence on the site, the bloodstained helmets, the bullet shells and the vehicles with smashed windscreens and flat tyres, and talking to the injured soldiers to understand how that fateful July 8 afternoon panned out. “Despite facing grueling physical and mental challenges, the Garhwal regiment soldiers of the Indian Army unleashed a barrage of 5,189 rounds on the terrorists, forcing them to flee the scene,” an official told PTI.
Among them is rifleman Kartik Singh. His right arm was punctured in several places by shrapnel from a grenade launched by terrorists, but he was undeterred and continued the fusillade with his left arm until his weapon jammed. His was only one of the stories of courage.
“The soldiers showed unwavering bravery and selfless dedication to duty, even in the face of grave injuries,” said an official.
“The precise and relentless counterfire instilled panic among the terrorists who were forced to retreat, and allowed for reinforcements to secure the area,” he added.
Those killed were Naib Subedar Anand Singh, Havildar Kamal Singh, Naik Vinod Singh, Rifleman Anuj Negi and Rifleman Adarsh Negi, all from Uttarakhand.
The soldiers were led by Junior Commissioned Officer Naib Subedar Anand Singh. As they fought back, the 22 Garhwal regiment men shouted the war cry “Badri Vishal Ki Jai” (Victory to the sons of Lord Badrinath).
