18 Terror Attacks Claimed Lives of 15 Soldiers, 10 Civilians & 3 VDGs

As curtains come down, signaling the end of calendar year 2023 on Tuesday, a look-back shows how the Jammu region emerged as a hotbed of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, where around 18 terror attacks claimed the lives of 15 security personnel, 10 civilians, and three village defense guards.

- Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

JAMMU: As curtains come down, signaling the end of calendar year 2024 on Tuesday, a look-back shows how the Jammu region emerged as a hotbed of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, where around 18 terror attacks claimed the lives of 15 security personnel, 10 civilians, and three village defense guards. Ten terrorists were also eliminated. This year saw terrorism spilling over from Rajouri and Poonch districts, south of Pir Panjal, to eight other districts—Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur, Reasi, Ramban, Kishtwar, and Doda.

While terror activities remained at a low ebb for the first three months of 2024, the first attack unfolded on April 22 when terrorists shot dead a government employee, Mohammad Razaq, a resident of Kunda Tope in Shahadara Sharif of Rajouri district. He was the brother of a territorial army jawan.

A few days later, on April 28, terrorists shot dead a village defense guard, Mohammad Sharief, in a brief face-off in the upper reaches of Chochru Gala heights in Basantgarh area of Udhampur district.