POONCH: A day after a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district left five army personnel dead and two injured, security forces on Friday began a massive cordon and search operation in the area. According to officials, Lt Gen Sandeep Jain, the General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the XVI Corps, visited the area and met with senior army and police officers to assess the situation. White Knight Corps, or XVI corps, posted on X, saying, “Indian Army and White Knight Corps salutes the bravery and supreme sacrifice of four soldiers in Surankote on yesterday while fighting the scourge of terrorism”. According to an official, sniffer dogs have been deployed to locate the terrorists who ambushed two Army vehicles in the area on Thursday afternoon, and helicopters are also being used for aerial monitoring. “A massive cordon and search operation has begun this morning after a night cordon in area,” a police officer stated. The surgery was still ongoing. He said that more troops have been brought into the area in an effort to find the terrorists responsible for the gunfire. At approximately 3:45 p.m. on Thursday, two army vehicles transporting personnel to the location of a cordon-and-search operation were ambushed at a blind curve in Dhatyar Morh, which is under the Surankote police station’s jurisdiction and connects Dhera Ki Gali and Bufliaz.According to the officer who was cited earlier, traffic has been stopped on Dhera Ki Gali (DKG) Road. High ranking army and police officials are keeping an eye on the situation on the ground. The armed terrorists, estimated to number between three and four, first set up shop on hilltops, selecting a blind curve as their target for the army vehicles. According to officials, following the attack, they allegedly disfigured the bodies of at least two soldiers and stole some of their weapons. According to security officials, an investigation into the location is being conducted to determine the pattern and application of weapons, such as steel core bullets, in the ambush. On Friday, security experts expressed concern over the increasing number of terror incidents in the Rajouri-Poonch area. “There is cause for concern. In the past two months, there have been two incidents. Until recently, this area was peaceful. Here, 35 soldiers have lost their lives in the last two years. Why is that taking place? Why have extremists gained such confidence?” stated Col. S. S. Pathania, a defence expert. According to security expert Captain (retd) Anil Gaur, Pakistan is manipulating these incidents in an attempt to resurrect terrorism in this area. “There are some issues with the way we are handling terrorism. It’s time to bolster the region’s intelligence and security infrastructure and eradicate all terrorists operating in challenging areas. Caves exist,” he declared. A number of organisations, including the Jammu Statehood Organisation, staged anti-Pakistan demonstrations in Jammu and set fire to a Pakistani effigy.
