Jammu resident held for assisting the terrorists behind Poonch attack
Investigators have identified a Mendhar man who provided logistical support to the attackers and also sheltered them for nearly three months.
JAMMU: Even as security forces continued to scan the jungles of Bhata Dhurian in Poonch to track down the terrorists responsible for the killing of five soldiers on April 20, investigators have identified a Mendhar man who provided logistical support to the attackers and also sheltered them for nearly three months.
Officials familiar with the investigation said the man, identified as Nasir Ahmed of Mendhar is one of the 60 people detained by the security forces in the past one week following the attack.
“He has confessed to the investigators that he had provided them shelter for nearly three months, supported them with logistics, arranging a vehicle to ferry them to Bhimber Gali on the day of attack,” said one of the officials who asked not to be named. Many of those detained were let off after questioning, the official added.
Five army personnel were killed and another was seriously injured after their vehicle caught fire following the terror attack in Poonch on April 20.
So far, security forces have detained over 60 people in an ongoing anti-terrorist operation following the attack in Bhata Dhurian, an infiltration route for terrorists from across the Line of Control because of its topography, dense forest cover and natural caves. The massive search and cordon operation has been extended to many areas of both Poonch and nearby Rajouri but there has been no contact with the terrorists who fled the scene after the deadly ambush.
Ahmed’s house in Mendhar is barely 35 kms away from Bhimber Gali.
“During the attack, the attackers were getting instructions via voice notes from a local handler, who was in touch with his contacts in Pakistan,” the first official said.
Meanwhile, Northern Command chief Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi visited Rajouri and Poonch sector on Wednesday, his second visit since April 22 to take stock of the ongoing operations. “He interacted with the troops deployed in remote areas and exhorted them to be innovative and relentless in their pursuit,” Northern Command tweeted.
On April 22, Lt Gen Dwivedi had visited the ground zero at Tota Gali in Bhata Dhurian. The attack was carried out in Tota Gali between Bhimber Gali and Bhata Dhurian .
