Agniveer Killed, Two Soldiers Injured in Landmine Blast Near LoC in Poonch

Jammu – An Agniveer was killed and two other Indian Army soldiers, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), were injured in a landmine explosion near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu & Kashmir’s Poonch district on Friday, officials confirmed.

The incident occurred near Victor Post in Salotri village of Haveli tehsil during a routine patrolling mission carried out as part of an anti-infiltration operation.

"The Agniveer died on the spot, while the two injured soldiers were promptly evacuated to a nearby hospital. Their condition is currently stable," an official said.

The fallen Agniveer has been identified as Lalit Kumar of the Jat Regiment, according to a condolence message shared by the Jammu-based White Knight Corps on X.

The Indian Army has paid tribute to the soldier, and an investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the explosion.

The explosion comes at a time of heightened alert along the border following the April 22 terror attack in the Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam, where 26 civilians — including 25 tourists and one local resident — were killed by Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists.

In response, the Indian armed forces launched targeted strikes against terror infrastructure across the border, reportedly destroying nine terror facilities in locations including Muridke near Lahore, Bahawalpur, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Following retaliatory attacks from Pakistan on civilian and military targets in India, the Indian armed forces responded by damaging 18 Pakistani defence bases.

In light of these events, extraordinary vigilance is being maintained along the 740-km-long LoC and 240-km-long international border in Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, Indian security forces, along with the J&K Police, continue aggressive counter-terror operations across the region, targeting terrorists, overground workers (OGWs), and sympathizers to dismantle the entire terror support network in the Union Territory.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has been holding regular security review meetings to assess progress and develop new strategies to counter terrorism and Pakistan-backed infiltration efforts.

With inputs from IANS