IAF soldier killed in Poonch was to return home in MP village for son’s b’day

Cpl Pahade had visited his family last month to attend his sister's wedding and had joined the unit on April 18.

Bhopal: Corporal Vicky Pahade, who was killed in a terror attack in Poonch region of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, was supposed to return home to celebrate his son’s birthday on May 7.

The slain soldier hailed from Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district and was a resident of Nonia-Karbal village.

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Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Kamal Nath, in a social media post said: “I salute the martyrdom of Vicky Pahade, a resident of Nonia-Karbal, Chhindwara district, Madhya Pradesh, and pay my tribute to the immortal martyr.”

Cpl Pahade had visited his family last month to attend his sister’s wedding and had joined the unit on April 18, local residents told IANS.

Cpl Pahde (33) had joined the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2011. He is survived by his five-year-old son, wife, mother and three sisters.

Pahade was killed while four other IAF soldiers were injured when militants ambushed a convoy of IAF in Poonch on May 4. The IAF said that the Air Warriors fought back by returning fire.

The Indian Air Force’s official X handle stated: “The CAS Air Chief Marshal V. R. Chaudhari and all personnel of the Air Force salute the braveheart Corporal Vikky Pahade, who made the supreme sacrifice in Poonch Sector, in the service of the nation. Our deepest condolences to the bereaved family. We stand firmly by your side in this hour of grief.”