At least five Indian soldiers, including an officer, lost their lives after militants detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) in the forests of Rajouri district, Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.
On Friday, a team of Indian army soldiers, including the elite Para (Special Forces) division, also known as Para SF, were searching for the militants involved in the April 20 attack that killed five Indian army troopers in an ambush, which was likewise in Rajouri.
Following the April 20 attack, the Jammu division authorities, including the local police and army, launched a massive search operation. Over 50 individuals were detained as part of the official investigation.
The Indian army in a statement said that a specific search was launched in the Kandi Forest of Rajouri when an IED went off, killing two soldiers and injuring five others. Three of the injured succumbed to their injuries later at the hospital where they were receiving treatment.
Security Situation in Jammu
The J&K region has witnessed an anti-India insurgency since 1989, and while the militancy in Kashmir division has persisted, Jammu had remained mostly peaceful in the last decade.
According to the Indian government, a fresh push for violence was initiated by Pakistan-based terror groups, resulting in an increase in militant strikes.
On 1 January, militants stormed into a village and killed seven civilians, resulting in the Indian government relaunching Village Defence Guards (VDG) groups, which are made up of local village volunteers who receive arms training in combating militant operations.
However, the violence seems to have persisted despite the formations of VDGs as well as a major amplification of the security measures in the Jammu region, keeping in mind the pre G-20 summit meetings that are supposed to take place this month.
SCO, G-20 Events in Kashmir
The latest spate of killings came as Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Zardari was on his first official visit to India to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Goa.
It's worth noting that Hina Rabbani Khar, who serves as the minister of state for foreign affairs, was the last Pakistani top diplomat to travel to India 12 years ago.
Diplomatic ties between the two countries suffered seriously when the Indian government in 2019, revoked the semi-autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir and divided it into two federally-governed union territories.
The killing of 10 soldiers in a gap of two weeks also comes at a time when security in J&K has been on alert ahead of the pre G-20 summit meetings.