Zee Media Bureau/Deepak Nagpal
New Delhi: A preliminary probe into the killing of five Indian soldiers along the Line of Control (LoC) earlier this month has revealed that the attack was well-planned and executed in military-style ambush.
Reports said quoting the initial findings of the internal Army probe that the attack was carried out by the Pakistan Border Action Team (BAT).
The probe also faults the five Indian soldiers who proved to be "sitting ducks" for the Pakistani troops in the August 6 attack in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.
As per the probe, on which no official comments are available yet, the Indian soldiers had failed to follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) and had used the same patrolling pattern for days together. This allowed the Pakistani troops to monitor Indian soldiers closely from across the LoC.
The five soldiers were shot dead from close range while they were `resting/sleeping` midway through the patrol. As per the Army findings, the attack was so sudden that the Indian troops could not fire even a single bullet.
The attack had taken place nearly 500 metres inside the Indian side of LoC.
The Army, Thursday, did not comment on the preliminary findings but only said that a formal court of inquiry is in progress.
While ceasefire violations by Pakistan had been taking place for long, the exchange of fire from both sides has intensified after the August 6 incident.
The Indian Army has retaliated with full force in response to the ceasefire violations by Pakistan, which have taken place not just along LoC but also at the International Border.
Only one of the six Indian soldiers from the "area domination patrol" had survived.
