As the multi-security agency search operation in Rajouri-Poonch belt entered the fifth day on Monday (April 24), terrorists involved in the Poonch terror attack remain untraced amid growing fears that they might manage to migrate to safer locations like the Rajouri attackers, who killed seven civilians on January 1, 2023 in Dangri village.
Official sources told The Hindu that the probe into the Poonch attack indicated the meticulous planning by the attackers, who were carrying high-calibre weapons and were working on well-gathered inputs on the movement of army vehicles in the area. The use of armour piercing steel bullets, either smuggled from Afghanistan or procured from China; sticky bombs and grenades have been established so far.
“A sniper expert seems to be a part of the group of attackers who swooped on the solitary vehicle on April 20 in the Rajouri-Poonch sector. It seems the sniper bullet hit the driver first and was followed by gunfire from other associates from at least two sides. There seems little response time to the soldiers onboard the vehicle to retaliate the fire,” officials said.
The militants managed to decamp with the service rifles of the jawans, indicating at the time the attackers had to get close to the vehicle. “A sticky bomb seems to be attached to the fuel tank as the injured jawans were still inside the truck to trigger fire,” they added.
Five soldiers were killed and another was critically injured in the attack that took place around 3 p.m. between Bhata Dhurian-Tota Gali route in the Poonch-Rajouri Sector. The statement of the injured soldier has been recorded by the investigating agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The security agencies on January 1 this year launched a major operation to nab the attackers, who killed seven civilians by attacking a Hindu-majority village of Dangri. However, the security agencies neither arrested anyone nor identified the militant outfit behind the attack officially so far.
Massive crackdown
Meanwhile, the massive crackdown entered its fifth day on Monday, where houses were searched located between Bhata Dhurian and Tota Gali, along an eight kilometer long thick forest area.
“The houses closer to the Line of Control (LoC) were also searched and the inmates were questioned,” official sources said.
Security agencies also identified natural caves, suspected to be used by militants to hide. However, no recovery has been made so far.
Around 50 locals, including over one dozen alleged overground workers, have been detained for questioning.
Rajouri-Poonch was declared a zero-militancy region of J&K before the Centre ended J&K’s special constitutional position on August 5, 2019. However, the region became a hotbed of militancy, with growing attacks on security agencies in the last three years. Over one dozen security forces have died in multiple attacks launched by militants in the region, which shares a long LoC with PoK. Around 550 kilometre out of 740 kilometres LoC are already fenced in J&K.
