J&K terror attack | Massive searches underway in Poonch district to track terrorists

An army vehicle in flames after a terror attack in Mendhar in Poonch district, Thursday, April 20, 2023. Five soldiers died and another was seriously injured in the strike.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Army’s Northern Commander Lt. Gen Upendra Dwivedi on Sunday said that necessary action is underway against the terrorists responsible for the deadly attack on an army truck in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district that left five soldiers dead.

A massive search operation to track down the terrorists is underway in Bhata Dhurian following the ambush on the army vehicle carrying fruits and other items to a border village for an Iftar that was to be hosted by the Rashtriya Rifles unit on Thursday evening, officials said.

In a tweet on its official handle, the Army’s Northern Command shared Lt. Gen Dwivedi’s visit to the Command Hospital in Udhampur and his interaction with the survivor of the terror attack.

“#LtGenUpendraDwivedi #ArmyCdrNC interacted with the survivor of the 20 Apr 23 #Poonch incident at Command Hospital #Udhampur and assured that necessary action is underway,” read the tweet accompanied by two pictures of the soldier.

The Northern Army Commander on Saturday visited the attack site at Bhata Dhurian, an area that is a preferred infiltration route for terrorists from across the Line of Control because of its topography, dense forest cover and natural caves.

Lt. Gen Dwivedi reviewed the security in the border area and the ongoing combing operation to track down the terrorists.

The Northern Command said in a tweet that he was briefed on the actions undertaken so far and exhorted the troops to be steadfast in their resolve.

While the search operation is underway amid a high alert in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, the traffic on Rajouri-Poonch highway was restored on Sunday morning after remaining suspended since Thursday evening, the officials said.

They said traffic was earlier diverted to other routes to secure the highway which connects the twin border districts with Jammu.

The officials said around 14-16 people have been detained for questioning.

“Among those rounded up are two couples from Degwar in Poonch – Iqbal and his wife Mudifa and Salam Din and his wife Rashida,” an official source said, adding further investigation is on.

The slain soldiers were from a Rashtriya Rifles unit deployed for counter-terror operations.

Sources earlier said the attack is suspected to have been carried out by a group of three to four terrorists.

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 terrorist groups are active in the region of Rajouri and Poonch, the sources said.