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New Delhi: The 15-day search for a group of alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who infiltrated J&K in late September/early October and claimed lives of Navy personnel so far enters the final phase. Done, learned ThePrint.
Sources in the Defense and Security Establishment said that the search operation in the dense Nar Khas forest of Poonch district in Jammu region has been intensified with the induction of additional troops and Army Special Forces.
The operation is currently focusing on the back of the forest, which has many caves. Sources said soldiers are searching each cave, some of which are so large that four to five terrorists can easily hide, and are “sanitizing” them by firing multiple times and using grenade blasts.
Security forces initially suspected that the group of terrorists had fled, but since contact was established on Sunday – in which a terrorist who was taken to the spot by the police was shot – it has now been confirmed that at least At least two terrorists are in hiding, if not the entire group.
“The operation is nearing its end. We expect some results by Tuesday. Intensive search is on,” said a source.
Usually, after such a long time, the operation would have been called off, sources said, despite initial contact with the terrorists. But the operation continues as the army has inflicted casualties. Sources said the “hope” is that the terrorists have not managed to escape from the forest, which is a very dense and difficult terrain, especially when it rains, as it did on Saturday.
Read also: ‘How can we leave them?’ – Kashmiris step up to protect migrants, make safe havens, cook food
Nine soldiers killed in action
The operation has so far claimed nine lives in two separate incidents at two different places.
Five jawans, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), were martyred in the action on the night of October 11 in Dera Ki Gali area of Poonch. It is believed that the terrorists ambushed the soldiers. With this the search operation started.
The second incident happened on Sunday The Mendhar side of the forest, where four jawans were killed in action after terrorists opened fire on a search party on October 14.
Subsequently, special forces were also involved in the operation, and additional troops and equipment were brought in.
Sources said the particular area where the operation is taking place is an “old infiltration route”, and the forces have faced casualties there in the past as well.
Last week, Gen MM Naravane visited Poonch and reviewed the security situation, the first time an Army Chief has visited an active encounter area.
There is no clarity yet on the exact number of terrorists involved.
Sources said that the security forces still do not have a definite figure on the number of terrorists involved, but security agencies believe it to be a group of six. Four of them are believed to have fled, of whom only two are still suspected to be in the forest.
He said the group is believed to have infiltrated into the Indian side from the Bhimber Gali sector.
Sources also said that one of the terrorists had gone to a house in a nearby village last week and had food. They got the extra food packed, he said.
Sources in the security agency said that based on the phone intercepts, it is believed that the last hideout of the terrorists was Shopian in South Kashmir.
(Edited by Shreyas Sharma)
Read also: ‘Police won’t blame government’: Pundits say J&K police ‘signed them’ over lack of security
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