IRFAN YATTOO/ARVIND SHARMA
Srinagar/ JAMMU, Dec 22:In response to a deadly ambush on army vehicles resulting in the martyrdom of five army personnel in Poonch district, a comprehensive search operation has been initiated in the dense forest area. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) team, alongside the General Officer Commanding (GoC) XVI Corps, Lt Gen Sandeep Jain, visited the operation site to assess the ongoing efforts.
Director General of Police for Jammu and Kashmir, Rashmi Ranjan Swain, also visited the site to assess the situation and collaborate with security forces.
Defence PRO, Suneel Bartwal, confirmed the deployment of sniffer dogs and helicopters to track down the terrorists responsible for the attack on the convoy. Additional troops have been called in to reinforce the search operation in pursuit of the three to four heavily armed assailants.
“The Indian Army and White Knight Corps salute the bravery and supreme sacrifice of five soldiers in Surankote while fighting the scourge of terrorism,” stated XVI Corps in a solemn tribute.
During his interaction with the forces leading the anti-terror operation, DGP Swain offered his expertise to enhance operational efficiency in neutralizing the hiding terrorists.
Emphasising the need for intensified search operations in the region, DGP Swain urged the utilization of both human and digital intelligence to track down the accused. Senior officers briefed him on the terrain of the area and the tactics employed by security forces in pursuit of the terrorists.
On Thursday, at approximately 3:45 pm, two army vehicles en route to a cordon-and-search operation site were ambushed at a blind curve in Dhatyar Morh, between Dhera Ki Gali and Bufliaz, under the jurisdiction of the Surankote police station. The attackers, believed to be heavily armed and numbering between three to four, carried out the assault with lethal precision.
