While gradually inducting more troops on ground zero, the Indian Army is preparing for the long haul ahead of flushing out Pakistani terrorists occupying ‘Jammu Heights’.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also reviewed the current security situation in Jammu in the wake of number of terrorist attacks in the past weeks. He chaired a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), which includes Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah.
Adopting offensive posturing the Indian Army has already rushed additional troops to be deployed along the higher reaches of the Kathua district bordering Himachal Pradesh to plug the gaps and block the escape routes of infiltrating terrorists.
Troop deployment is also being reviewed across the frontier districts of Rajouri and Poonch as the region has witnessed repeated ambushes on army trucks and patrol parties since October 2021.
The security forces are also contemplating setting up additional posts in the upper reaches of the Doda and Kishtwar districts to block the traditional routes of crossing into the Kashmir valley.
As per the preliminary assessment made by the different agencies, part of the multi-layered security grid in Jammu and Kashmir, the involvement of ex-Pak army regulars along with a well-trained cadre of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist outfit cannot be ruled out behind these attacks.
Most of these ambushes were planned and executed under the same command structure and the desired objective was to inflict maximum casualties on the Indian security forces to spread the ‘Arc of terror’ across the peaceful Jammu region.
Before the four soldiers were martyred in the Dessa forest area of Doda, five soldiers were ambushed by Pakistani terrorists in the Badnota area of Machhedi in the Billawar tehsil of Kathua on July 8.
The security grid along the International border has been kept in a state of high alert to prevent fresh infiltration attempts from across the border.
Meanwhile, two terrorists were killed as security forces foiled a fresh infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Thursday.
In a post on X, the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps said, “An infiltration attempt has been successfully prevented with the elimination of two terrorists today on the LoC in Keran Sector, Kupwara. Anti Infiltration Operations are continuing”.
In Doda, two Army personnel were injured when a group of terrorists lobbed a grenade and opened indiscriminate firing on the Government school building where these soldiers had taken a temporary shelter during the night.
According to official sources, the information about the presence of soldiers in the school complex may have been shared by the local associates of the terrorists in the Kastigarh area of Doda.
According to reports the attack took place around 2.00 a.m. The soldiers were camping inside Zadan Lower Government High School, Kashtigarh, Doda when they were targeted by the terrorists. Swift retaliation by the army troops forced the terrorists to flee the area.
A defence spokesperson said one of the critically injured soldiers was evacuated to Udhampur-based command hospital by an advanced light helicopter (ALH) despite challenging weather conditions.
“Swift action by ALH from Air Force Station, Udhampur saved a critically injured soldier’s life in Doda (J&K). Despite challenging weather, the evacuation was successful, ensuring timely medical care at Command Hospital, Udhampur. Kudos to the team for their dedication & bravery,” PRO Defence Jammu posted on X.
Separately, security forces guarding a forward post opened fire after observing suspicious movement near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district late Wednesday night.
The officials said the area was searched on Thursday morning but nothing linked to suspicious movement was found on the ground.
In Doda, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Doda-Kishtwar, Ramban range, Shridhar Patil told reporters in Kastigarh, “All security forces on the ground are engaged in a well-coordinated operation against terrorists with whom we had contact yesterday and today as well. The operation is under progress and we will get success soon,”
However, he refused to share more details citing the continuation of the operation.
Heavy rains and dense fog added to the challenge as the security forces continued their manhunt for the fleeing terrorists – who are believed to be the same group that killed four army personnel.
