Army Alert in Poonch: Strike on terror can happen anytime

Ground Report | New Delhi: Army Alert in Poonch; Security forces have asked residents of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) to stay indoors as the anti-militancy operation in the districts entered the ninth day on Tuesday.

As the counter-insurgency operation entered the sixth day in the Bhata Dhurian forest area of Mendhar sub-division of the Poonch district of the Jammu region, Army Chief General MM Naravane on Tuesday met troops at Ground Zero and reviewed the operational preparedness at the encounter site.

Sources said that the Indian Army Chief also cleared the Bumbar Gali sector and briefed the army officers about the long-running armed clash there.

The military chief had said in Srinagar on June 3 this year that strict implementation of the ceasefire agreement by Pakistan and stopping the flow of militants into Indian territory would lead to trust between the two countries. Can be smooth.

However, he acknowledged that their numbers were not enough to defeat President Conte's government. It is also noteworthy that on February 25 this year, India and Pakistan agreed to implement the 2003 ceasefire agreement on the LOC.

After this renewed commitment, not only was there silence on the border, but according to Indian security officials, the incidence of infiltration also dropped dramatically.

Army Alert in Poonch

The police made several appeals to the people through the public address system in mosques and urged people not to venture into the forests and ensure that their animals are kept in the restricted premises.

An announcement from the mosques said, "All gentlemen are requested to stay indoors." If anyone has gone to the field to mow the lawn, let him return immediately to his house. Kashmir police claim that locals have been appealed to stay indoors to save them from any casualties.

However, defense experts say the announcement could be aimed at locking up locals and launching a large-scale operation against militants "hiding" in the jungle.

ALSO READ: New militant outlet claims attack on Poonch

In recent days, the Indian Army has intensified its attacks against terrorists hiding in the jungles of Poonch in the Jammu region. During the operation in Poonch, the army suffered nine casualties in so many days. (Army Alert in Poonch)

Local people in Mendhar have been advised not to step out of their homes till the operation is completed.

There has been no contact with the terrorists since Saturday morning and the soldiers are engaged in "speculative fire" while making tactical advances inside the forests, the Indian Express reported. He admitted that he could not see the terrorists despite aerial surveillance.

New militant outlet claims attack

A new militant organization has claimed responsibility for the last nine days of encounter between security forces and militants along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch. An organization named People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF) has released an eight-minute video claiming responsibility, The Hindu reported.

In a video released on several channels of the Telegram mobile app, a man is narrating in the Kashmiri language about the incident that started on October 11.

ALSO READ: Pakistani commando in Poonch encounter? Claim in the report

The video claims that two unidentified militants chased the Army Patrol party for 10 hours and raided their tent the next day (11 October). Describing himself as the leader of the attacking party, he is saying that he had crossed ‘Chamerar Gali’ at around 4.30 pm.

Army sources said it was not clear whether the same group was involved in the October 11 and 14 incidents, with a senior police officer saying they believed the terrorists were working in tandem, and that they changed locations.

ongoing counter-terrorism operation

The Army said in a statement: “There was an exchange of fire between government forces and terrorists on the evening of October 14 in the ongoing counter-terrorism operation in the Nar Khas forest in the Mendhar sub-division of Poonch district. A junior commissioned officer and a soldier have been seriously injured in the exchange of fire and the operation is still ongoing.

According to the report of NDTV, a senior military officer in the area had confirmed last night that a senior official had gone missing on Thursday and a major operation was needed to find him. “We have not been able to recover the injured JCO so far.”

According to security forces, the militants are in dense jungles and are not easy to pursue, so the operation continues six days later. No militants have been killed or arrested so far. According to observers, this is the first time in recent years that the Indian Army has suffered so many casualties in a single armed conflict.

Heavy firing and explosions were heard in the area as the army was trying to flush out the terrorists hiding deep in the jungles. The army on Monday launched a search operation after receiving information about the presence of terrorists in Dera Ki Gali. In the initial firing, five jawans including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) were martyred.

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