Operation Sindoor: Pakistan drone strike kills soldier guarding J&K IAF base

An Indian Army soldier guarding an air base in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur succumbed to injuries after he was critically injured by fragments of Pakistani drones struck down by Indian air defence systems. The attack happened before India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire pact after days of military escalation.

According to reports, the soldier, Surendra Singh Moga from Rajasthan, was posted on duty at the Udhampur air base, an Indian military establishment, which was targeted by the Pakistani Air Force on Saturday. Pakistan launched 'Operation Bunyan-un-Rasoos' on Saturday to counter India's 'Operation Sindoor' targeting terror launchpads in the neighbouring country.

Defence officials said Moga was hit by a fragment of a Pakistani drone, which was intercepted by the Army's air defence at an air base in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur. "The Indian air defence successfully intercepted the drones in the air, but a jawan was hit by a fallen debris resulting in critical injuries to him," the official said. The soldier later succumbed to the injuries, he added. 

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma paid tributes to the fallen soldier and expressed sympathies with his family. "The news of the martyrdom of Shri Surendra Singh Moga ji, a son of Rajasthan, a resident of Jhunjhunu, a soldier of the Indian Army, who attained martyrdom at Udhampur Air Base while performing his duty of national security is extremely sad. May Lord Shri Ram give a place to the virtuous soul in his feet and give strength to the bereaved family to bear this immense sorrow," he tweeted.