Lagatar24 Desk
Rajouri, Nov.6: After The Indian army has conducted a huge combing operation after villagers reported the presence of heavily armed terrorists in the Khablan jungles in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district.
As a precaution, the Thanmandi-Rajouri road has been blocked to traffic.
The action today is part of a larger anti-terror operation in J&K’s Poonch and Pirpanjal areas.
In a 27-day operation that began in the Surankote woodlands on October 11 after the deaths of five soldiers, nine soldiers, including two officers, have been killed in battle.
As the Army sought to neutralise the fleeing militants, it was later extended to Mendhar.
According to oficial sources, the villagers complained about the terrorists yesterday. These terrorists are thought to be members of the same cell that killed nine police officers between October 11 and 14.
Since then, the Army has been involved in one of the longest counter-terror operations in history, but it has had little success so far against militants who appear to be well-entrenched in the forested area. Since the firing on October 24 at Bhatti Durrian, which resulted in the death of one terrorist, there has been no contact.
According to the news agency PTI, a large portion of the woodland belt was cleared to allow authorities to reopen the roadway and villagers to resume normal activity.
Gunshots and heavy fire were heard Friday night as the Army pushed in on the terrorists’ hideout, according to locals. However, it is unclear whether any terrorists were killed so far.
Army Head General MM Naravane has visited this location twice in the recent month, the first time an Army chief has visited an active battleground in J&K.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated Diwali with soldiers from Nowshera in Rajouri district this week in an effort to raise morale among soldiers posted along the Line of Control.
Since 2003, no terrorist activity has been reported in the districts of Poonch and Rajouri.
This is the first time in 18 years that such terror has resurfaced, and it is largely regarded as posing a severe threat to security.
