The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Sunday paid tribute to Corporal Vikky Pahade, who has succumbed to injuries sustained during a terrorist attack on an IAF vehicle in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Saturday.
“The CAS (Chief of Air Staff) Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari & all personnel of Indian Air Force salute the braveheart Corporal Vikky Pahade, who made the supreme sacrifice in Poonch Sector, in the service of the nation,” IAF said in a post on X, adding, “Our deepest condolences to the bereaved family. We stand firmly by your side in this hour of grief."
The operation to apprehend the terrorists responsible for the attack, which also left four other personnel injured, entered its second day on Sunday.
READ | J&K: Army Beefs Up Security In Poonch After IAF Soldier's Death In Terror Attack — Top Points
A joint operation by the Army and the police is currently underway in several areas, including Shahsitarm Gursai, Sanai, and Sheendara Top. The assailants are believed to have fled into a forest following the attack, and security personnel are conducting combing operations to locate them.
The attack took place on Saturday evening near Shahsitar in the Surankote area, while IAF personnel were returning to the air force station from Jaranwali. According to a PTI report, officials suspect the involvement of the same group of terrorists responsible for an ambush in adjoining Bufliaz in December last year. The attackers were armed with AK armed rifles.