Jammu, November 18
At least 10 soldiers were killed and 24 others were wounded when militants struck in a big way at Ramban on the Jammu-Srinagar highway today.

The police said as an Army convoy reached the Ramban suspension bridge, the soldiers alighted from their vehicles to allow trucks to throw light on the bridge. As three vehicles crossed the bridge and the soldiers were marching on the bridge, the militants camouflaging as “rehriwallas”, hurled grenades on them. Another group of militants atop hills fired indiscriminately on the convoy in which nine soldiers were killed on the spot while another succumbed to his injuries on way to hospital. A child was also injured.

As many as 24 soldiers, wounded in the shootout, have been admitted to the Military Hospital in Udhampur. Reports said the condition of seven soldiers was still critical.

Additional companies of troops were rushed to the area. Massive combing operations were launched near Ramban.

The Governor, Mr G.C. Saxena, the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, and the Union Minister for Food Processing, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, have expressed shock over the incident.

Meanwhile, Indian troops killed eight militants in Poonch and Rajouri districts today. Defence Ministry reports said in an operation launched by the troops, four militants were eliminated in the Poonch sector. Large quantities of arms and ammunition were recovered from them.

In another operation, the troops foiled an infiltration bid by killing two infiltrators in the Krishna Ghati area in the Poonch sector. They were identified as Ahmed Nawaz Bhatti and Abu Karim belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba.

In the Thanamandi area of Rajouri, the Army killed two more terrorists today, raising the number of slain militants in the area to six.

A report from Srinagar said a security personnel was killed and six persons injured since yesterday, official sources said today.

One Army personnel was killed and three were injured when heavily armed militants ambushed their patrol in the Dardsun forest area of Kupwara district.

Abdul Rashid Ghani, a militant, was killed by the SOG at Raiyar in Badgam district.

Two securitymen were injured in an exchange of fire with the militants during search operations at Sogam in Kupwara district.