Search operations on but without success
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 22: A team of National Security Guards (NSG) visited Bhatta Durrian site of terror attack in Mendhar area of Poonch district today where five Army jawans sacrificed their lives and another was injured on Thursday.
The NSG Post Blast Analysis Team led by top officials examined the site of attack along with officials of other security and Intelligence agencies and collected certain samples for examination.
A cordon-and-search operation backed up by drones and sniffer dogs to trace the militants entered the second day today without any success except for detention of certain suspects.
Sixteen people have so far been detained for questioning, officials said, adding that some of them have been let off.
Meanwhile, Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi today visited the site of the terror attack in Poonch district.
He reviewed the security in the border area and the ongoing combing operation to track down the militants who ambushed the Army truck on Thursday.
The Northern Command said in a tweet that Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi reviewed the operational situation after the attack. He was briefed on the actions undertaken so far and exhorted the troops to be steadfast in their resolve, it added.
A preliminary investigation has revealed that the Army truck was carrying fruits and other items to a forward village for Iftar that was supposed to be hosted by the Army’s Rashtriya Rifles unit on Thursday evening, sources said.
“The cordon-and-search operation is going on in large areas of Bhatta Dhurian-Tota Gali and neighbouring areas to hunt down the militants involved in the attack. Multiple security agencies are engaged in the operation,” sources said.
The entire area has been cordoned off.
Drones and sniffer dogs have also been pressed into service.
The troops involved in the operation are exercising utmost caution as the militants may have planted Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in the densely forested area with deep gorges and caves, they added.
Traffic on the Bhimber Gali-Poonch road was stopped following the terror attack and people have been advised to go to Poonch via Mendhar.
The attackers possibly spent more than a year in Rajouri and Poonch and had adequate knowledge of the terrain, they added.
The Jammu and Kashmir Gaznavi Force (JKGF) is said to be active in the area and its “commander”, Rafiq Ahmed alias Rafiq Nayi, hails from the region.
Currently, three-four militants groups are active in the region of Rajouri and Poonch, the sources said.
The Army said the truck caught fire because of the likely use of grenades.
The Army found steel core bullet marks on the vehicle and the body of a jawan.
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