TWO army personnel, including a captain, were killed and another was injured when an improvised explosive device (IED), believed to have been planted by terrorists, exploded near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Akhnoor sector in Jammu on Tuesday, officials said.
The Army confirmed the fatalities in the blast and said "own troops are dominating the area and search operations are underway".
The officials said the troops were on patrolling duty when they were hit by the powerful explosion near a forward post in the Bhattal area at around 3:50 pm.
The injured personnel were rushed to a hospital where two of them, including a captain, succumbed to their injuries, they said, adding that the condition of the other injured soldier is "out of danger".
This was the third incident of cross-border action by terrorists in the Jammu region in four days.
It came a day after the general officer commanding of the Jammu-based White Knight Corps unit of the Army, Lieutenant General Navin Sachdeva, reviewed "hostile activities" along the LoC in Rajouri district.
The Jammu-based White Knight Corps unit of the Army saluted the supreme sacrifice of the two soldiers.
"Suspected Improvised Explosive Device blast reported in #Laleali in Akhnoor Sector during a fence patrol resulting in two fatalities. Own troops are dominating the area and search operations are underway.
"White Knight Corps salutes and pays tribute to the supreme sacrifice of two gallant soldiers," it said in a post on X.
The entire area was cordoned off after the explosion, the officials said.
On Monday, a soldier was hit by a bullet from across the border while manning a forward post in the Kalal area of the Nowshera sector in Rajouri district, while on February 8, an Army patrol came under terrorist fire from a forest across the LoC in Rajouri's Keri sector.
The terrorists were waiting for an opportunity to sneak into the Indian side.
The Indian troops had also fired a few rounds in retaliation and subsequently, the anti-infiltration grid was strengthened to keep a tight vigil in the area.
In the intervening night of February 4 and February 5, a land mine explosion reportedly resulted in some casualties to terrorists attempting to infiltrate into the Indian side from across the LoC in the Krishna Ghati sector of the Poonch district.
However, there was no official word about the possible terrorist casualties in the blast. (PTI)
This photograph taken on April 28, 2026 shows a boy getting "thali", a sacred thread tied to his neck symbolising marriage to Hindu warrior god Aravan during the annual Koovagam transgender festival at the Koothandavar temple in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district. For a few fleeting days each year, at the heart of the Koothandavar Temple where ostracised transgender community members from across India come to honour the Hindu deity Aravan, a tradition rooted in millennia-old Hindu texts -- and to enjoy a brief oasis of freedom.Getty Images
This photograph taken on April 29, 2026 shows a member of the transgender community mourning as a priest cuts the "thali", a sacred thread symbolising end of her marriage to Hindu warrior god Aravan during the annual Koovagam transgender festival at the Koothandavar temple in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district. For a few fleeting days each year, at the heart of the Koothandavar Temple where ostracised transgender community members from across India come to honour the Hindu deity Aravan, a tradition rooted in millennia-old Hindu texts -- and to enjoy a brief oasis of freedom. Getty Images
