Northern Army Commander visits terror attack site in Poonch, reviews security

POONCH: Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi on Saturday visited the site of the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district that left five Indian soldiers martyred who were carrying fruits and other items in a truck for an Iftar gathering in a forward village.

He reviewed the security in the border area and the ongoing combing operation to track down the terrorists who ambushed the Army truck on Thursday.

Top security officials, including BSF Director General S L Thaosen and ADGP Mukesh Singh, besides an NSG team visited the spot at Bhata Dhurian, which is surrounded by a dense forest.

The Northern Command said in a tweet that Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi reviewed the operational situation after the attack. He was briefed on the actions undertaken so far and exhorted the troops to be steadfast in their resolve, it added.

Five Army personnel were martyred and another was seriously injured after their truck was ambushed by terrorists. The Army said the truck, carrying fruits and other items for an Iftar gathering in Sangiote village, came under fire and it caught fire because of a likely use of grenades.

Officials said investigators found bullet marks on the vehicle, which was attacked from three sides.

The soldiers were from a Rashtriya Rifles unit deployed for counter-terror operations.

Security forces have launched a manhunt in the dense forest area of Bhata Dhurian to nab the terrorists. Drones, sniffer dogs and an MI chopper have been deployed in the search-and-combing operation.

Officials said a high alert has been sounded in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch.

They said 14 people were detained for questioning but some of them have been released.