2 soldiers killed as Pak BAT ambushes patrol in Poonch

JAMMU: Two Indian soldiers were killed when a Pakistan border action team (BAT) laid an ambush in the Chakan-da-Bagh area of the Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district, 250 km from here, around 2pm on Thursday. The Indian Army killed two Pakistani BAT members in retaliation.

BAT, which generally comprises special forces of the Pakistan army and terrorists, is notorious for carrying out gruesome attacks. A senior army officer said that Pakistan’s BAT killed the two Indian soldiers, who were part of a patrol team, comprising an officer and 10 soldiers.

No mutilation of the slain Indian soldiers has been reported. “We killed two BAT members. We can’t say whether they were Pakistani soldiers or not. One of the bodies was taken away by the BAT, while the other is still lying in the conflict area,” he said. One of the BAT members was seriously injured and helped by other members to escape under heavy cover fire by Pakistani posts, he said.

On May 1, junior commissioned officer (JCO) Paramjit Singh of Amritsar and BSF head constable Prem Sagar of Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, were killed in the same sector. “This is the third BAT action in Poonch this year by the intruders. Our patrol called area domination party was moving between two posts when it was ambushed. An exchange of fire ensued. When the firefight was on, Pakistani posts engaged Indian posts by opening heavy fire,” the officer said.

He said Pakistan’s BAT team was 600 metres in Indian territory.

“It’s a sneak attack by a typical BAT team, comprising five to seven members,” he said.