Army chief on two-day visit to review security situation
Amid the spurt in militancy related activities in Jammu and Kashmir, the Army Chief General M M Naravane has started two-day visit of the Jammu region.
The visit of M M Naravane comes after the nine soldiers were martyred in gunfight between security forces and a group of terrorists hiding in Mendhar forests in district Poonch.
As per the reports, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of White Knight Corps will give him an update on security situation and operational preparedness.
The Indian Army said on Twitter on Monday: “General MM Naravane, COAS (Chief of Army Staff) is on a two day visit to Jammu Region wherein GOC White Knight Corps will give an update on security situation and operational preparedness.”
“COAS will visit forward areas and interact with troops and commanders on ground,” it added.
Exchange of fire between security forces and a group of terrorists hiding in Mendhar forests began Monday as the gun battle in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir that has so far witnessed the killing of nine soldiers resumed on the eighth day at the break of dawn.
“As per inputs, 3-4 terrorists are engaged in the gunfight,” the sources said. Paratroopers were inducted on Saturday to take on the heavily-armed militants hiding in the forests as the union territory witnesses one of the deadliest encounters post abrogation of Article 370 removing special status to the erstwhile state.
Official sources said the joint team of Army, police, para military troops along with elite commandos were already searching the Nar Khas forests of Mendhar. Helicopters are also being used to track down the terrorists.
“The terrorists are holed up in a dense forested area and firing intermittently which is effectively being retaliated by the search parties,” they said.
Army personnel have been advancing cautiously as the terrorists, who are heavily armed, appear to be well entrenched in the forests, the sources said.
In the week-long gunfight that started on October 11, so far nine Army personnel, including two Junior Commissioned Officers have been killed. The operation to flush the terrorists out has proved to be tough, especially due to the difficult terrain and dense forests thus prolonging the gun battles.
Security forces as per sources, have also detained two persons for allegedly providing logistics support to the terrorists.
“During searches on the basis of intelligence inputs, two persons have been detained for providing food and shelter to a group of heavily armed terrorists,” the sources said. The detainees were being questioned for more details.
The National Highway 144-A, connecting Poonch district headquarter with Rajouri and Jammu was partially opened on Monday after remaining closed between Bhimber Gali and Jarran Wali Gali till Sunday.
Moreover, Kashmir also witnessed spurt in militancy as two non-local labourers were killed and 1 injured on Sunday in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, the latest in the series of attacks targeting civilians.
This is the third attack on non-local labourers in less than 24 hours. A street vendor from Bihar and a carpenter from Uttar Pradesh were shot dead by the ultras on Saturday evening.
Amid the spate of civilian killings, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had on Sunday vowed to avenge every drop of their blood by hunting down terrorists and their sympathizers.
