E-Paper
Hunt on for Poonch attackers
Two teams of NIA on Friday reached the spot in Poonch where terrorists ambushed an Indian Army vehicle, killing five soldiers the previous day.
Special forces teams with drones and helicopters fanned out across a thickly forested area in Jammu and two teams of India’s counter-terror police National Investigation Agency on Friday reached the spot where terrorists ambushed an Indian Army vehicle, killing five soldiers the previous day.
The manhunt for what is believed to be a group of 5-7 terrorists began at first light on Friday, officials said, and added that among the terrorists are likely to be men who crossed over from Pakistan at the Line of Control (LoC). At least 12 people were detained for questioning, news agency PTI reported.
Read | At least 7 LeT terrorists behind Poonch attack
“At least two teams of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) reached the spot on Friday afternoon and assessed the site of attack. One team, with a DIG (deputy inspector general of police) and SP (superintendent of police) of the NIA arrived in a helicopter with director general of police (DGP) Dilbag Singh and additional DGP Mukesh Singh, while another NIA team with Forensics Sciences Laboratory (FSL) experts comprising two to three officials reached via road,” said officials.
Around 3pm on Thursday, an army truck was ambushed in the Poonch sector in Jammu, leading the deaths of five jawans on board. The victims were attached with the army’s Rashtriya Rifles unit and were deployed for counterterrorist operations in the area. Four of the dead jawans were from Punjab and the fifth from Odisha.
People in the security establishment told HT that some of the shells recovered from the site of ambush were found to be 7.62 mm bullets with steel core having ‘71-China’ markings on them.
“Prima facie, it appeared the terrorists laid an ambush at Tota Gali for the army truck that was moving between Bhimber Gali and Poonch. Once the truck came close, the terrorists opened indiscriminate fire from the hill and from other side of the road, which has a deep gorge and dense jungles,” an official aware of the probe said, asking not to be named.
“The driver was the first to be targeted and simultaneously, grenades were lobbed, which gave little time for the soldiers sitting at the rear to react. It seems the terrorists also targeted the fuel tank with a grenade or RPG that triggered the fire within no time,” they said.
The incident led to protests in Jammu against Pakistan and condemnation from political parties, with some leaders questioning if there was a security lapse.
The bullets with steel core were first used by Jaish-e-Mohammad on the eve of the new year in 2018 when its cadres killed five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) men at Lethpora in an attack on a CRPF camp. These bullets can pierce bullet-proof body armours.
In wake of attack in Bhata Dhurian, traffic remained suspended from BG to Surankote on Friday as well.
Security forces have launched a massive search operation in the dense forests of the Bhata Dhurian.
Following the ambush, a high alert has been declared in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch and along the LoC.
On Friday security forces also pressed into service drones and sniffer dogs to trace the terrorists, who have been hiding in the dense jungles of Bhata Dhurian, officials said.
While random check posts have been set up on the highway from Rajouri to Poonch, security forces personnel were seen checking vehicles and credential of commuters.
Defence officials informed that a wreath-laying ceremony of the five martyred jawans took place in Rajouri on Friday afternoon and it was attended by top officials from the army, police and civil administration.
The Army identified the dead soldiers as Havaldar Mandeep Singh, Lance Naik Kulwant Singh, Sepoy Harkrishan Singh, and Sepoy Sewak Singh, all from Punjab, and Lance Naik Debashish Baswal from Odisha.
