Security Forces on Friday began a massive cordon-and-massive search operation in the forest area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Pooch district, right after five army personnel were killed and two others were injured in an attack by terrorists.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC), XVI Crops, and Lt Genn Sandeep Vain gave a visit to the area and reviewed the situation with the top Army and police officers, according to officials.
XVI Corps wrote on X, “Indian Army and White Knight Corps salutes the bravery and supreme sacrifice of four soldiers in Surankote yesterday while fighting the scourge of terrorism,”
An official stated that area monitoring with the help of Helicopters was also being conducted, and sniffer dogs have been pressed into service to track down the terrorist who ambushed the Army’s two vehicles in the area on Thursday afternoon.
An officer told PTI, “A massive cordon-and-search operation has begun this morning after a night cordon in the area,”
He also added additional troops have been deployed into the area to track down the terrorists who were involved in the firing.
On Thursday, around 3:35 PM, two army vehicles that were carrying personnel to the site of a cordon-and-search operation came under a heavy attack at a blind curve at Dhatyar Morh between Dhera Ki Gali and Bufiaz under the jurisdiction of the Surankote police station.
The officer quoted above said the Dhera ki Gali has been closed for traffic. Top officials of the Army and police are continuing to monitor the situation on the ground. It is believed that two or three heavily armed terrorists took position on hilltops and chose a blind curve to attack the army vehicles. After the attack, terrorists mutilated the bodies of at least two soldiers and took some weapons from them. According to security officials, an investigation of the area is being carried out to understand the pattern and use of weapons, including steel core bullets, in the ambush.
