India
Shooting breaks out in Doda amid manhunt after ambush in Kathua | India News – Times of India
YUMMY: Security services And terrorists collided in a remote forest in the upper reaches of Doda district in J&K on Tuesday as helicopters, drones, dogs, snipers and elite military commandos assisted search teams during a widespread manhunt for the suspected Pakistani gunmen involved in a deadly ambush during an army patrol in Kathua district on Monday afternoon, killing five soldiers of Garhwal Rifles.
“The gunfight started when the security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Goli Ghadi-Bhagwah forest following information about the presence of terrorists in the area. The operation is still underway and two to three terrorists have been cornered,” an official source said.
This is the fourth firing in Doda district in a month. Three terrorists were killed in the Gandoh-Bhaderwah sector on June 26. On June 12, five Rashtriya Rifles and a J&K Police SPO were injured in an attack on the Chattergala pass, and a search team was fired upon in Gandoh, injuring a constable.
In Kathua district, a joint search operation is underway in the Machedi-Billawer area where five soldiers, including a junior commissioned officer (JCO), were killed in the ambush. The fallen soldiers, all from Uttarakhand, were identified as Naib Subedar Anand Singh Rawat of Rudraprayag, Naik Vinod Singh and Rifleman Adarsh Negi of Tehri, Havildar Kamal Singh and Rifleman Anuj Negi of Pauri. Five other soldiers are undergoing treatment at the military hospital in Pathankot. The mortal remains of the slain soldiers have been shifted to their homes.
“Members of the army’s elite Para unit have been deployed to carry out surgical strikes on the terrorists in specific areas,” an official source said.
The search teams, supported by helicopters, drones, military dogs and snipers in ghillie suits, are targeting dense forest areas. The teams are equipped with metal detectors due to concerns about improvised explosive devices planted by fleeing terrorists to hamper the search.
The search has been extended to neighbouring districts of Udhampur and Kathua, including Basantgarh, Seoj and upper reaches of Bani, Daggar and Kindli. Sources believe that three to four terrorists carried out the ambush and are part of the same group that killed a village defence guard in Panara village in Udhampur on April 28.
J&K DGP RR Swain visited the Kathua site, where evidence of the attack and counter-fire was visible — including bloodstains, helmets, bullet-riddled windscreens and punctured tyres. The attack took place around 3.30 pm when terrorists ambushed the convoy as it took a bend on the Machedi-Kindli-Malhar road. The terrorists, probably a group of three, took cover in the dense foliage on a hillock to surprise the troops with grenades and gunfire. On Tuesday, the two bullet-riddled trucks were found parked 300 metres apart.
Jammu has seen an escalation in terrorist activities, attributed to “intruders” from Pakistan operating in groups of three and four. These small groups continue to pose a challenge to the security forces, with the number of local militants at its lowest in 35 years, sources said. Of the 70-80 Pakistani terrorists active in J&K, nearly 55-60 are in the Jammu zone. At least 45 security personnel have been killed in the region since October 2021.
The situation in Jammu region is tense after four attacks on June 9, 11 and 12 in Reasi, Kathua and Doda districts, killing seven pilgrims, their local bus driver and conductor and a CRPF constable.
“The gunfight started when the security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Goli Ghadi-Bhagwah forest following information about the presence of terrorists in the area. The operation is still underway and two to three terrorists have been cornered,” an official source said.
This is the fourth firing in Doda district in a month. Three terrorists were killed in the Gandoh-Bhaderwah sector on June 26. On June 12, five Rashtriya Rifles and a J&K Police SPO were injured in an attack on the Chattergala pass, and a search team was fired upon in Gandoh, injuring a constable.
In Kathua district, a joint search operation is underway in the Machedi-Billawer area where five soldiers, including a junior commissioned officer (JCO), were killed in the ambush. The fallen soldiers, all from Uttarakhand, were identified as Naib Subedar Anand Singh Rawat of Rudraprayag, Naik Vinod Singh and Rifleman Adarsh Negi of Tehri, Havildar Kamal Singh and Rifleman Anuj Negi of Pauri. Five other soldiers are undergoing treatment at the military hospital in Pathankot. The mortal remains of the slain soldiers have been shifted to their homes.
“Members of the army’s elite Para unit have been deployed to carry out surgical strikes on the terrorists in specific areas,” an official source said.
The search teams, supported by helicopters, drones, military dogs and snipers in ghillie suits, are targeting dense forest areas. The teams are equipped with metal detectors due to concerns about improvised explosive devices planted by fleeing terrorists to hamper the search.
The search has been extended to neighbouring districts of Udhampur and Kathua, including Basantgarh, Seoj and upper reaches of Bani, Daggar and Kindli. Sources believe that three to four terrorists carried out the ambush and are part of the same group that killed a village defence guard in Panara village in Udhampur on April 28.
J&K DGP RR Swain visited the Kathua site, where evidence of the attack and counter-fire was visible — including bloodstains, helmets, bullet-riddled windscreens and punctured tyres. The attack took place around 3.30 pm when terrorists ambushed the convoy as it took a bend on the Machedi-Kindli-Malhar road. The terrorists, probably a group of three, took cover in the dense foliage on a hillock to surprise the troops with grenades and gunfire. On Tuesday, the two bullet-riddled trucks were found parked 300 metres apart.
Jammu has seen an escalation in terrorist activities, attributed to “intruders” from Pakistan operating in groups of three and four. These small groups continue to pose a challenge to the security forces, with the number of local militants at its lowest in 35 years, sources said. Of the 70-80 Pakistani terrorists active in J&K, nearly 55-60 are in the Jammu zone. At least 45 security personnel have been killed in the region since October 2021.
The situation in Jammu region is tense after four attacks on June 9, 11 and 12 in Reasi, Kathua and Doda districts, killing seven pilgrims, their local bus driver and conductor and a CRPF constable.
