Poonch encounter enters 13th day; three security personnel injured

Ground Report | New Delhi: Poonch encounter enters 13th day; An Army soldier and two policemen were injured in a fresh encounter with militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Sunday. According to reports, a Pakistani militant who was taken to the encounter site was also injured and could not be brought back to the Bhata-Dhurian encounter site in Poonch.

As per the Jammu and Kashmir Police said a Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Zia Mustafa was taken to Bhata Durian to identify a hideout during the ongoing operation in which three army personnel and a JCO were killed.

"During the search, when the team approached the hideout, the terrorists again opened fire on the joint team of police and army personnel, injuring two policemen and an army jawan. Zia Mustafa also suffered injuries and was injured. could not be evacuated from the site due to heavy fire,” the official said.

Poonch encounter enters 13th day

Jammu and Kashmir security forces launched one of the biggest encounters ever after five Indian Army personnel were killed by terrorists on October 11. The encounter took place during a search and cordon in Dera Ki Gali (DKG) area of ​​the Poonch district. It is noteworthy that this was the first encounter in recent days in which five personnel lost their lives.

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On the same day a police officer was injured during a separate encounter in Khagund Verinag area of ​​Anantnag. The Indian Army has lost nine jawans so far after two were killed on 16 October during terrorist operations in the Mendhar area.

New militant outlet claims attack

A new militant organization has claimed responsibility for the encounters 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.

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.

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