26 people arrested in Kathua terrorist hunt | India News – Times of India

JAMMU: At least 26 residents of Machedi-Billawer area in Kathua district in J&K have been locked up for questioning in connection with Monday’s fatal shooting ambush on a military patrol with two trucks carrying five soldiers On Wednesday, officials reported that 22 people were killed and five injured in the Garhwal Rifles.
“An NIA team has reached the ambush site and is helping the police in the investigation. The Army, J&K Police and CRPF personnel are scouring the rugged terrain and forests of the region to nab the terrorists, but no one has been captured or killed yet,” an official said. Heavy rains have hampered aerial surveillance by drones and helicopters.
Officials have begun to piece together events from the ambush near Badnota village, where gunfire continued for more than two hours before reinforcements arrived. The terrorists, believed to be a group of three, positioned themselves at two spots on a hill and took cover in thick foliage to surprise the troops with grenades and gunfire as the trucks took a turn on the Machedi-Kindli-Malhar road around 3:30 p.m.
Despite heavy gunfire, the soldiers fired continuously to prevent further casualties and prevent the terrorists from seizing their weapons. “The soldiers of the Garhwal Regiment of the Indian Army fired a barrage of 5,189 rounds at the terrorists, forcing them to flee,” an official told PTI.
The Kashmir Tigers, a shadowy group of the Pakistan-backed terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), have claimed responsibility for the ambush.
Sources said locals are being questioned about whether they had spotted the terrorists before the ambush or provided them with any support. Authorities have warned people not to offer shelter, food or help to the terrorists who are hiding and navigating the area unnoticed.
The recent escalation of terror-related violence in Jammu has worried locals in the higher areas who are demanding strengthening of village defence groups to counter terrorist threats.
Another search operation is underway in Doda district after a gunfight between security forces and terrorists in the Goli Ghadi-Bhagwah forest on Tuesday night. The terrorists escaped, taking advantage of the dense forest and the falling dusk.