50 ultras waiting to infiltrate into Jammu: GOC
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Security forces on Tuesday morning gunned down two terrorists holed up in a forest area near a village in the Akhnoor sector, taking the number of militants killed in the 27-hour gunfight near the Line of Control (LoC) to three, officials said.
One of the three terrorists who fired at an ambulance that was part of an army convoy moving near the LoC on Monday morning was killed by evening in the operation that also witnessed action by special forces and NSG commandos and the use of BMP-II infantry combat vehicles.
The other two terrorists were killed on Tuesday in a span of two hours after joint teams of the army and the police launched the final assault near Assan temple in Jogwan village in the Battal-Khour area, the officials said.
After overnight surveillance, “an intense firefight unfolded today morning resulting in a significant victory for our forces. Relentless operations and tactical excellence have led to the elimination of three terrorists.
“The operation also saw the successful recovery of war-like stores, marking a critical step in maintaining security in the region,” Army’s Jammu-based White Knight Corps said in a post on X.
The officials said the slain terrorists are believed to have infiltrated from across the border on Sunday night before appearing outside a temple and targeting the army convoy.
“After a night-long lull, the security forces pushed for a final assault against the holed-up terrorists at around 7 am, leading to a fresh gunfight,” an official said.
A couple of deafening explosions followed by intense firing continued for over an hour before the second terrorist was killed, the officials said, adding intermittent exchange of fire continued for another hour before the third trapped ultra was eliminated.
A four-year-old valiant Army dog, Phantom, died in the operation after being hit by a bullet.
In a first, the Army deployed its four BMP-II infantry combat vehicles for surveillance and strengthening the cordon around the attack site, while helicopters and drones were also deployed to locate the hiding terrorists.
The latest encounter in the Jammu region comes amid a surge in terrorist activities in Kashmir where seven attacks have occurred in the past two weeks, resulting in 13 fatalities, including two soldiers.
Meanwhile, General Officer Commanding of 10 Infantry Division, Major General Sameer Srivastava said over 50 terrorists are likely present on the launching pads across the border to sneak into Jammu region, asserting that the forces are fully alert to the challenge and will foil any infiltration attempt, which change especially during the winter months.
Speaking to reporters after the successful elimination of three ultras in Akhnoor sector near here, the GOC said the Army will not allow the terrorists a free run to harm civilians.
Security forces on Tuesday morning gunned down two terrorists holed up in a forest area near a village in the Akhnoor sector, taking the number of militants killed in the 27-hour gunfight near the Line of Control (LoC) to three, officials said.
“The pattern of infiltration changes with each passing year, especially during snowfall and we are ready for the challenge,” the officer said.
Flanked by Brigadier Kapil Taneja, commander of 28 infantry brigade and Deputy Inspector General of Police, Jammu-Kathua-Samba Range, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Maj Gen Srivastava said the challenges remain the same – counter the infiltration and terrorist actions.
“We are fully prepared as you have seen in the recent successful operations against terrorists. I am sure such successful operations will have an impact on terrorism,” he said.
Asked about the number of terrorists likely present on the launching pads south of Pir Panjal, he said the inputs about the figure usually keeps varying with changing times.
“As per the joint intelligence reports, there are 50 to 60 terrorists present there,” the senior Army officer said.
Describing the killing of three terrorists in Akhnoor as a major success for the security forces, he said they were not part of the fresh infiltration group.
Maj Gen Srivastava said, “This was a group which was present in the hinterland and we were tracking them for some time. They came here and got exposed.”
“The area (Akhnoor) will be kept under strict surveillance even as ground reports suggest that there were only three terrorists,” he added.
He said the counter-infiltration grid has been strengthened and “no infiltration had taken place in this area”.
The terrorists present in the hinterland are moving in small groups and had moved to this area for a direct action, he said.
Maj Gen Srivastava said there is no permanent presence of terrorists in Akhnoor, adding, “We will not let our guard down. The area has seen no infiltration for a long time.”
On a question about the recovery of sophisticated M-4 carbine from the slain terrorists and the possibility of Pakistan army directly providing arms to the terrorists, he said, “The source (of providing arms) can be many and it is very difficult to speculate.” Asked whether the terrorists were planning a similar attack as the one in Gulmarg ahead of Diwali in Jammu, he quipped “that is what it appears”, adding, “Any other reason to be there is very unlikely. Even if it was there, it (Jammu) was a wrong selection.”
Responding to another question about the attire of the slain terrorists, he said the types of combat uniforms are easily available in the market.
The senior Army officer said a huge cache of arms, ammunition and IEDs were recovered from the dead terrorists but denied having recovered an explosive vest during the operation.
“No belt IED was found even as all of them had personal weapons and ammunition,” he said, adding ‘fidayeen’ (suicide) action is something very difficult to be carried out in this area.”
On terrorists targeting peaceful areas, he said terrorism is all about sensationalising things and “I think they came here (Akhnoor) to make sensational news”.