Militants opened fire on an Army convoy in the Pir Panjal valley’s Poonch district on January 12 evening. A major search operation is underway in the area following the exchange of fire.
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The incident took place around 6 p.m. “A security forces convoy of vehicles was fired upon by suspected terrorists from a jungle near Krishna Ghati in the Poonch sector. No casualties to own troops,” a Jammu-based Army spokesman said.
The place where the attack took place is dotted with dense jungles, with steep mountain ranges nearby.
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Joint search operations by the Indian Army and the J&K Police are in progress, the Army spokesperson said.
This is the second encounter between hiding militants and Army in Poonch in the past 23 days. Four soldiers were killed in an ambush on December 21 on Poonch’s Dera Ki Gali.
Friday’s attack comes hours after visit of Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command and Lieutenant General Navin Sachdev, General Officer Commanding of the White Knight Corps, in-charge of the Rajouri-Poonch range, visited forward posts in the Rajouri Sector.
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The Army officers, according to the Army spokesman, reviewed measures to “fortify our shield”. Lt. Gen. Dwivedi interacted with troops and lauded their round-the-clock vigil.
The Army officers also reviewed the pattern of terrorist activities in the region. The top Army commander underscored the need for a deep understanding of the evolving landscape, the spokesman said.
The Army has outlined ‘Strat 24’ for operational focus in 2024 “to defeat the inimical designs of our adversary and sponsored terrorists”.
Meanwhile, the White Knight Corps has adopted Pir Topa village as a model village under Sadbhavana. Three civilians allegedly died in Army’s custody in Poonch following the militant attack of December 21.