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Security brass visits site as Poonch hunt picks up
Five soldiers were killed and another was seriously injured when terrorists, believed to be five to seven in number, ambushed their truck that later caught fire
The hunt for terrorists responsible for the Poonch attack in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, which led to the deaths of five Rashtriya Rifles jawans, entered the second day on Saturday, with senior officers in the security establishment visiting the border district.
Northern Army commander Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Border Security Force director general SL Thaosen and additional director general of police Mukesh Singh visited the spot of the attack in Tota Gali area of the district on Saturday, besides National Security Guard officials.
Five soldiers were killed and another was seriously injured when terrorists, believed to be five to seven in number, ambushed their truck that later caught fire.
A preliminary probe has revealed that the truck was on its way to Sangiote from Bhimber Gali to transport fruits and other eatables for an iftar party that was supposed to be hosted by the Army’s Rashtriya Rifles unit at 7pm that evening, officials said.
“Lt Gen Dwivedi reviewed the operational situation after the incident of Thursday. He was briefed on the actions undertaken so far and exhorted the troops to be steadfast in their resolve,” the Northern Command said on Twitter after Lt Gen Dwivedi’s visit.
The BSF DG also reviewed the deployment of the force along border areas, a spokesperson for the force said.
“DG BSF was briefed by DIG BSF Rajouri. He reviewed the overall deployment of BSF and also domination plan on forward defence locations,” the spokesperson said.
Thaosen was accompanied by PV Rama Sastry, ADG Western Command; DK Boora, IG, BSF Jammu, and other senior police and CRPF officers.
While no arrests have been made so far, 14 people were detained for questioning, officials said, adding that some of them have been let off.
Officials believe at least five to seven terrorists affiliated with the Lashkar-e-Taiba were involved in the planning and execution of the attack.
The attackers fired 32 rounds, including some of 7.62 mm steel core bullets that penetrate armour and rocket propelled grenades, and used sticky bombs before fleeing the spot, officials said.
“The sticky bombs were probably planted on the fuel tank by the fleeing terrorists. Two pins of Chinese hand grenades were also recovered from the site of attack. There is also a possibility that Pakistani terrorists may have been involved in this attack,” one of the officials said requesting anonymity.
Teams of the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir police, and paramilitary forces are scanning the dense jungles of Bhata Dhurian, and have pressed into service around 2,000 personnel for the searches, officials said.
“The cordon-and-search operation is going on in large areas of Bhata Dhurian-Tota Gali and neighbouring areas to hunt down the terrorists involved in the attack. Multiple security agencies are engaged in the operation,” PTI quoted an officer as saying.
The entire area has been cordoned off, the officer said, adding that drones and sniffer dogs have also been pressed into service.
As a mark of respect for the soldiers, the residents of Sangiote and Bhata Dhurian in the district refrained from festivities on Eid on Saturday.
