JAMMU: In the middle of a massive ongoing operation to track down the terrorists responsible for a recent ambush on Army vehicles that left four soldiers dead in the border district of Poonch, Army chief General Manoj Pande arrived here on Monday to review the current security situation in the Jammu region, according to officials. According to a defence spokesperson, the chief of Army staff arrived in Jammu and then departed for the Rajouri-Poonch area to assess the force’s operational readiness and the current security environment. In order to oversee the counterterrorism operation and uphold law and order, senior civil administration and police officers, along with Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Northern Command and Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain, General Officer Commanding of the White Knight Corps, based in Jammu, are camped in the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch. The four soldiers were killed on Thursday when terrorists ambushed their vehicles at Dhatyar Morh in the Surankote area of Poonch, between Dhera Ki Gali and Buffliaz. Three civilians, ages 27 to 42, were allegedly picked up by the Army to be questioned following the attack. December 22nd, they were discovered dead.According to the officials, a thorough search is still underway in the vicinity of the ambush, encompassing Surankote as well as the Thanamandi forest in the neighbouring district of Rajouri. For the third day in a row, Poonch and Rajouri were without mobile internet. Following the three civilians’ deaths, which occurred just hours after they were allegedly taken up by security guards to be questioned about Thursday’s ambush, the services were suspended early on Saturday. The Jammu and Kashmir administration stated on Saturday that the medico-legal procedures had been completed and that the relevant authorities had started legal action in the case. It also announced that the families of the civilians who had died would receive compensation and jobs. The three civilian deaths have prompted the Army to order a comprehensive internal investigation, and the Army has stated that it will provide full support and cooperation for the investigation. “Search operations by the security forces are continuing in the area of operations after the incident of December 21,” the Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI) of the Indian Army stated in a post on X on December 23. There have been three reported civilian deaths in the region. An investigation is being conducted into the matter. The Indian Army is dedicated to providing its complete assistance and collaboration in the course of the inquiries.”
