Two army soldiers were killed in a suspected IED blast targeting a fence patrol on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu’s Akhnoor sector on Tuesday amid reports of a surge in hostile activities in the area.

Sources said the deceased included an officer. Some soldiers have also been injured.

Tensions have been brewing in the area for several days, prompting the commander of the Nagrota-based White Knight Corps to direct officers on the ground on Monday “to remain prepared for all contingencies”.

The Corps on Tuesday said a suspected IED blast at Laleali in Akhnoor sector resulted in two fatalities “during a fence patrol”.

“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,” the army posted on X.

The killings came a day after the White Knight Corps chief, Lieutenant General Navin Sachdeva, visited forward areas in Rajouri along with the general officers commanding of Aces of Spades and Crossed Swords divisions.

An army spokesman said the visit was related to an “operational update on the prevailing security situation and the hostile activities”.

The army has not revealed details about who was behind these “hostile activities” or who planted the IED. However, sources claimed some militants might have crossed over to the Indian side to plant the bomb. Massive searches are underway to hunt them down.

On Monday, an army jawan was critically injured in firing along the LoC in Rajouri. Officials said the jawan was hit by a bullet at Kalal in Nowshera.

On February 8, a patrol party of the Indian Army also came under fire from across the LoC in Rajouri’s Keri sector. The army had sounded a high alert in the area and stepped up searches.

The incidents come against the backdrop of some media reports that claimed that the army had foiled an attack by the Border Action Team (BAT) on the night of February 4 by killing seven of its members in adjoining Poonch. The BATs reportedly comprise a mix of highly trained militants and Pakistani regulars.

The army neither accepted nor denied the reports that were in wide circulation on social media.

Jammu has witnessed a massive surge in militant violence since the scrapping of the special status in 2019. Dozens of highly trained militants who have infiltrated over the years had been lying low during the winter months.