India: The Indian military reported that suspected rebels attacked an army truck in the disputed Indian-administered Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of five soldiers. The attackers fired at the vehicle and threw explosives at it.

On 20th April 2023 in the southern Rajouri sector near the heavily fortified Line of Control separating the disputed Himalayan region of India and Pakistan, unidentified attackers reportedly threw grenades that caused a vehicle to catch fire. The army stated that the cause of the fire was probably the use of these grenades.

“Five personnel of the Rashtriya Rifles Unit deployed for Counter Terrorist operations in this area have unfortunately lost their lives in the incident,” the army’s northern command said in the statement. As per the statement, another soldier was severely injured and has been transported to a military hospital for medical treatment.

Footage captured at the location depicted a mountainous area highway where an army vehicle was completely ablaze. According to a source from the defence ministry, General Mr. Manoj Pande, the chief of the Indian Army, has updated Defense Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh on the assault.

The region of Kashmir is claimed in its entirety by both nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, but it is currently governed partially by them. For a long time, New Delhi has accused Islamabad of fueling the insurgency in the Indian-controlled area of Kashmir. However, Islamabad refutes these allegations and claims that it only extends diplomatic and moral assistance to the Kashmiris striving for self-rule.