2 soldiers, 2 civilian porters killed as terrorists ambush Indian Army vehicle in Jammu and Kashmir's Gulmarg

Srinagar: Two soldiers and two civilian porters were killed after heavily armed terrorists ambushed an army vehicle in Botapathr area near a famous Gulmarg ski-resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Thursday.

Reports said that the attack occurred when an army vehicle of 18-Rashtriya Rifles (RR) en-route from Botapathr was suddenly fired upon by the terrorists in Nagin Dhok area of Botapathr. The area, where civilian movement is restricted, is some 7 kilometers from the Gulmarg ski-resort and is close to the Line of Control (LoC).

“Two soldiers and two civilian porters working for the army were killed and three soldiers were injured in the attack. The area has been cordoned off and reinforcements have been rushed to the area to prevent the militants from escaping into dense forest cover,” an official said.

The attack on an army vehicle occurred in the usually militancy-free area of the Valley. Gulmarg and its upper reaches like Botapathri are thronged by tourists and the place has been a choice destination for nature lovers.

Earlier, Baramulla police on social media platform X posted: “Some exchange of fire took place between forces and terrorists in Butapathri sector of district Baramulla around Nagin post. Further details will be shared after verifying facts.”

The attack comes just hours after a migrant labourer was shot at and injured in Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. The injured man was identified as Pritam Singh, a resident of Uttar Pradesh.

Terror attacks in the Kashmir valley have spiked since the formation of the Omar Abdullah-led National Conference-Congress coalition government last week.

Four days earlier, six construction workers and a doctor were killed after terrorists attacked a housing camp for construction workers building a tunnel in the Gagangeer area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district along the Srinagar-Leh national highway. Among the six men killed were three labourers, a manager, a mechanical engineer and a designer.

On October 18, Ashok Chouhan, a corn vendor from Bihar, was shot dead by terrorists in south Kashmir’s Shopian district.