News Analysis India

Tag: Poonch

  • J-K: JCO among two soldiers killed as massive search operation continues in Poonch-Rajouri forests

    By PTI

    JAMMU: Two more soldiers, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), were killed as the massive search operation to track down terrorists continued for the sixth day in the forest areas of Jammu and Kashmir’s twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri on Saturday, officials said.

    With the latest killings, a total of nine Army personnel, including two JCOs, have laid down their lives in the ongoing counter-insurgency operation that began in Surankote forests of Poonch on Monday and later spread to nearby Thanamandi in Rajouri and Mendhar in Poonch.

    The officials said bodies of the JCO and the soldier were recovered near the scene of Thursday’s gunfight with terrorists in the Nar Khas forest in Mendhar, taking the number of Army personnel killed in the operation to four.

    Riflemen Vikram Singh Negi and Yogambar Singh, both from Uttarakhand, were confirmed dead earlier.

    A defence spokesman identified the JCO as Ajay Singh and another soldier as Naik Harendra Singh and said they were part of search operations launched by the security forces to flush out terrorists hiding in the densely forested area on Thursday.

    “After a fierce firefight with terrorists, the communication with the two soldiers was disrupted.

    Relentless operations continued to neutralise the terrorists and to reestablish communication with them,” the spokesman said.

    Earlier on October 11, five Army personnel, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), were killed when terrorists attacked a search party in Poonch’s Surankote forest.

    There was another exchange of fire between the Army’s search parties and the fleeing terrorists in the adjoining Thanamandi forest in Rajouri the same day but the ultras managed their escape.

    “The presence of terrorists in the forest area connecting Poonch and Rajouri was observed two and a half months ago and accordingly tactical operations were launched to track them down,” Deputy Inspector General of Police, Rajouri-Poonch range, Vivek Gupta told reporters.

    He said the area is mountainous and the forest is dense, which makes the operation difficult and dangerous.

    “The joint security grid was tracking different groups of terrorists but operations take time, depending on the topography of the area.

    “The contact with the terrorists was established on three occasions this week, based on the intelligence inputs,” the officer said.

    Gupta said the forest area is being sanitised and once the operation is complete, a clear picture will emerge.

    “The terrorists are holed up and the joint forces are on the job to take the operation to the logical conclusion as per the Standard Operating Procedure,” he said.

    However, he did not disclose the number of terrorists hiding in the forest area.

    “We have the number and have formed our strategy accordingly.”

    The officials said gunshots were heard intermittently throughout the day as the joint search parties of the Army and the police resumed the operation in Poonch’s Mendhar area.

    They said the entire forest area from Mendhar to Thanamandi remains under a strict cordon and a massive search operation is on to neutralise the terrorists who are moving from one place to another in an attempt to escape the dragnet.

    The Army has already deployed para-commandos and a helicopter was also seen hovering over the forest area to keep surveillance, the officials said.

    They said the traffic between Mendhar and Thanamandi along the Jammu-Rajouri highway remained suspended for the second day in the wake of the ongoing operation.

    Rajouri and Poonch in the Jammu region have witnessed a rise in infiltration attempts since June this year, resulting in the killing of nine terrorists in separate encounters.

    Earlier in the day, a defence spokesperson said the mortal remains of riflemen Negi and Singh were flown to Uttarakhand in a service aircraft Saturday morning after a wreath-laying ceremony.

    The aircraft will reach the Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun by 11.30 am, he said.

    From the airport, the mortal remains of the soldiers will be taken to their hometowns by road and their last rites will be conducted with full military honours, the spokesman said.

  • Jammu & Kashmir encounter: Bodies of two missing soldiers including JCO found in Poonch district

    By Express News Service

    SRINAGAR: A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and a soldier who had gone missing after a gunfight with militants in the Nar Khas forest area of Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, have been killed and their bodies recovered, the army said on Saturday. 

    Their bodies were found during the operation in the forest area, which continued for the sixth day on Saturday.

    The army had launched a massive search operation in the forest area of Poonch after two soldiers, including Subedar Ajay Singh and Naik Harendra Singh, went missing following Thursday’s gunfight in Poonch.

    More reinforcements, including special forces para commandos, joined the operation. The search operation was widened and more areas brought under the cordon. The army also used helicopters in the search. 

    Defence spokesman in Jammu, Lt Col Devender Anand, said thay communication with the two soldiers was disrupted on October 14 evening. An army official said the troops were moving cautiously in the dense forest area and that there have been two major gunfights since October 11.

    In the gunfight at the Nar Khas forest area on Thursday evening, two soldiers, Vikram Singh Negi Yogambar Singh, were killed. On October 11, a JCO and four soldiers were killed in a village close to Dera Ki Gali in Surankote, Poonch. DIG (Poonch-Rajouri range) Vivek Gupta said the dense forest area was providing natural cover. “We believe that we have pinpointed their position in a particular area,” he said.

  • J&K encounters: Search op continues in Poonch-Rajouri forest areas to track down terrorists 

    By PTI

    JAMMU: A massive search operation in the forest areas of Jammu and Kashmir’s twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri to track down terrorists involved in the killing of seven Army soldiers entered its sixth day on Saturday, officials said.

    They said gunshots were heard as the joint search parties of the Army and the police resumed the operation in Poonch’s Mendhar area.

    However, it was not immediately clear whether it was speculative firing by the search parties or fresh contact was established with the terrorists, they said.

    The area is mountainous and the forest is dense, which makes the operation difficult and dangerous, according to the officials.

    ALSO READ | Militants involved in Srinagar cop’s killing gunned down in joined operation

    A vast forest area of Mendhar has been under tight security cordon since Thursday, when riflemen Vikram Singh Negi and Yogambar Singh, both from Uttarakhand, were killed in an encounter with terrorists in the Nar Khas forest.

    Earlier on October 11, five Army personnel, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), were killed when terrorists attacked a search party in Poonch’s Surankote forest.

    There was an exchange of fire between the Army search parties and the fleeing terrorists in the adjoining Thanamandi forest in Rajouri the same day.

    The officials said that the entire forest area from Mendhar to Thanamandi remains under a strict cordon and a massive search operation is on to neutralise the terrorists who are moving from one place to another in an attempt to escape the dragnet.

    The traffic between Mendhar and Thanamandi along the Jammu-Rajouri highway remained suspended for the second day in view of the ongoing operation, they said.

    ALSO READ | Families of Poonch martyrs united in grief

    On Tuesday, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Rajouri-Poonch range, Vivek Gupta had said that the terrorists involved in the attack on security forces in Poonch had been present in the area for the last two to three months.

    Rajouri and Poonch in the Jammu region have witnessed a rise in infiltration attempts since June this year, resulting in the killing of nine terrorists in separate encounters.

    Meanwhile, a defence spokesperson said that the mortal remains of riflemen Negi and Singh were flown to Uttarakhand in a service aircraft this morning after a wreath-laying ceremony.

    The aircraft will reach the Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun by 11.30 am, he said.

    From the airport, the mortal remains of the soldiers will be taken to their home towns by road and their last rites will be conducted with full military honours, he said.

  • Families of Poonch martyrs united in grief

    Express News Service

    DEHRADUN:  As the news of martyrdom of Army soldiers Vikram Singh Negi and Yogambar Singh reached their home in Uttarakhand, family members still are in shock and disbelief. Both the jawans were killed in Nar Khas forest area during the counter-terrorism operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district. While Negi, 26, was a resident of Village Viman Gaon, Singh, 27, hailed from Saankri village.

    Singh, who returned to his posting in July after a month’s leave, has a one- year-old son. His wife Kusum Devi fell unconscious while his parents are in a state of shock. Janki Devi has been inconsolable after she lost her son in the line of duty. “This is like snatching away a family’s life. I don’t know how I will console my family members,” said Vasudev Singh, a kin at Saankri in Chamoli district. 

     Anand Singh Bhandari, gram pradhan of Sankari village,  said Singh joined the Army in year 2015.  “We all attended his marriage in 2018 and danced our hearts out. We were proud of him and now all that remains are memories,” the pradhan said. The body of the martyr reached Rishikesh and would arrive till late night or on Saturday morning. 

    Surendra Singh Negi, the uncle of rifleman Virendra Singh Negi, said Vikram joined the Army five years back.  “The information (of martyrdom) was received by his wife Parvati. It’s devastating. He had his whole life to live… It’s unfair how terrorism has cut such promising life short,” said the grieving uncle. Negi’s 18-month son is unaware that he will never get to know his father or meet him.  The Negi household, especially the  martyr’s wife, mother Birja Devi and 95-year-old grandmother Rukma Devi, are speechless as they struggle to come  terms with their loss.

    Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dham condoled the loss of the two families.  “Our soldiers have made the  supreme sacrifice in the service of Mother India. Their sacrifice will never ever be forgotten. I pray to God to grant courage and patience to the families and all of us to bear the loss,” he said.

  • Two soldiers die in Poonch gunfight

    Express News Service

    SRINAGAR: Days after five soldiers died in a gunfight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch, two army personnel, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), were killed during a fresh encounter with militants hiding in the same forest area of the border district on Thursday evening. 

    Defence spokesperson in Jammu, Lt-Col Devender Anand, said there was a heavy exchange of fire between the militants and the army troops carrying out a counter-terror operation near Nar Khas forest area in Mendhar sub-division of Poonch. While the JCO was killed, the critically injured soldier was evacuated to a military hospital for specialised treatment but succumbed later. Additional army personnel were rushed to the area to tighten the siege and prevent the militants from escaping. “The operation was going on when reports last poured in,” the defence spokesperson said. 

    Sources said the place where the encounter broke out is part of a forest area that runs through Dera Ki Gali in Surankote area in Poonch, where a fierce gunfight had taken place between terrorists and the army on Monday morning in which five soldiers, including a JCO, had been killed.

    The militants had escaped from the area after the gunfight and were spotted by security personnel a few hours later in the forest area of Bhangai village in neighboring Rajouri district. A brief gunfight had taken place between the two sides before the militants again managed to escape deep into the dense forest rea.

    Sources said a group of three-four militants, suspected to have infiltrated from across the border, are believed to be hiding in the area. The army has been using helicopters to track and pinpoint the movement of the terrorists.

    Besides the gunfight in Poonch, five encounters have taken place in Kashmir this week in which eight militants, including a Jaish-e-Mohammad commander, were killed. There has been a surge in encounters after seven civilians, including three minority community members and a non-local street vendor, were shot dead by militants in Kashmir last week.

  • Fresh encounter underway between terrorists, security forces in J&K’s Poonch, jawan injured

    By ANI

    POONCH: Another fresh encounter broke out on Monday afternoon between the security forces and terrorists wherein one jawan was injured.

    More details are awaited.

    Earlier an encounter broke out in the morning in which a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and four jawans of Indian Army were injured in anti-terrorist operations and later lost their lives.

    “An encounter is going on between Army troops and terrorists in the Poonch area around 2 kilometres from the site where a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and four jawans of Indian Army were injured in anti-terrorist operations and later lost their lives. An Army personnel is injured in this encounter,”as per the Indian Army sources,

    ALSO READ | JCO among five soldiers killed in encounter with militants in J&K’s Poonch

    Earlier today, a junior commissioned officer (JCO) and four soldiers of the Indian Army have been killed during a counter-terrorist operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri sector in the Pir Panjal ranges, informed sources.

    “A junior commissioned officer (JCO) and four soldiers have been killed in action during a counter-terrorist operation in the Rajouri sector in the Pir Panjal ranges,” sources said. 

  • Five army personnel killed in gunfight with terrorists in J-K’s Poonch

    By PTI

    JAMMU: Five Army personnel, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), were killed in a fierce gunfight with terrorists during an anti-insurgency operation in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, officials said.

    The operation was launched in a village close to DKG in Surankote in the early hours following intelligence inputs about presence of terrorists, a Defence spokesman said.

    He said the ultras opened heavy fire on the search parties resulting in critical injuries to the JCO and four other ranks. All the five soldiers succumbed to their injuries. The encounter with the terrorists was going on and further details are awaited, the spokesman said.

    The officials said there are reports about presence of a group of heavily-armed terrorists in Chamrer forest after they managed to sneak from across the Line of Control (LoC).

    Reinforcements have been rushed to the area to plug all escape routes to ensure the terrorists are neutralised, they said.

  • Security forces defuse four bombs in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district

    By PTI

    JAMMU: Security forces on Wednesday defused four “sticky” bombs, which were seized from an over ground worker in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, officials said.

    These were destroyed at Bharirakh in Mendhar by a bomb disposal squad, they said.

    The “sticky” bombs and Rs 10,500 were seized from Mehmood Hussain, the officials said.

  • Indian Army foils infiltration bid by heavily armed terrorists along LoC

    By PTI

    JAMMU: The Army has foiled a major infiltration bid by a group of heavily armed terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, officials said on Friday.

    The infiltration attempt was detected by alert troops of the Indian Army, defence spokesperson Lt Col Devender Anand said.

    “A group of heavily armed Pakistani terrorists attempted to infiltrate along the LoC in Poonch sector last night (Thursday),” he said.

    “The infiltrators were challenged and heavy firing ensued,” the spokesman said.

    Owing to undulating terrain and heavy undergrowth, the terrorists managed to break contact and escape back towards Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) under the cover of darkness, he said.

    A thorough search of the encounter site was carried out, and a huge quantity of supplies left behind by the terrorists was recovered, including clothing, packaged food items and medicines with Pakistani markings, Lt Col Anand said.

    The Indian Army maintains a determined resolve to thwart any infiltration attempts or nefarious designs by anti-national elements, he said.

  • IED-fitted sticky bombs recovered in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch, major tragedy averted

    By PTI

    JAMMU: Ahead of Independence Day, a major tragedy was averted when security forces seized improvised explosive device-fitted four sticky bombs from a man in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Friday, police officials said.

    On information provided by the Border Security Force, a joint checking party of police, BSF and Army was deployed at Morh Kotan in the district, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Jammu zone, Mukesh Singh said.

    During checking, a suspicious person was apprehended and during his search, an IED attached with four sticky bombs and Rs 10,500 were seized from his possession, he said.

    The man, identified as Mehmood Hussain of Kasbalari area of Poonch, was arrested, the officials said.

    With this a major tragedy ahead of Independence Day was averted, they added.

    An FIR has been registered at police station Mendhar and further investigation is on, the officials said.