Poonch- At least 12 people were detained on Friday for questioning in connection with the deadly ambush of five army soldiers in the dense forest area of Bata Doriya here even as a MI helicopter, drones and sniffer dogs were pressed into service in a massive manhunt for the perpetrators of last afternoon’s attack.
Officials said that those detained were being questioned at various levels by the security forces to ascertain the identity of the militant group, which is believed to be active in the area for more than a year and probably comprises a snipper too.
A day after the attack, Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Dilbag Singh along with Additional Director General police Mukesh Singh was camping in neighbouring Rajouri district to oversee the investigation. The two officers also visited the site.
A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team headed by a Deputy Inspector General rank officer was also present as the agency is likely to take over the case.
Initial reports suggest the presence of around five terrorists and the army truck is believed to have been attacked from three different sides. After the ambush, the militants possibly used grenades as well as sticky bombs that set the vehicle ablaze.
Vehicular traffic was suspended on the national highway between Bhimber Gali and Jarran Wali Gali for the second consecutive day.
The officials said those who executed the attack are believed to have been present in Rajouri and Poonch for more than one year and had adequate knowledge of the terrain which is quite tough, they said.
The area is a hot bed of Jammu and Kashmir Gaznavi Force (JKGF) as its ‘commander’ Rafiq Ahmed alias Rafiq Nayi, who is a resident of the area, they added.
At present, three to four militant groups are active in the region of Rajouri and Poonch, the sources said.
Banned group People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), a proxy wing of Jaish-e-Mohammed, has claimed responsibility for the attack. There are reports suggesting that it was a handiwork of banned Lashker-e-Taiba group also.
The entire area of Tota-Gali-Bata Doriya, which has dense forests, has been cordoned off.
Officials said drones and sniffer dogs are being used to trace the militants
The five Army personnel were killed and another was seriously injured on Thursday after their vehicle caught fire following the attack. The soldiers were from a Rashtriya Rifles unit deployed for counter-terror operations.
Top army and police officials on Friday laid wreaths and paid homage to the soldiers — Havildar Mandeep Singh of Chankoian village of Ludhiana (Punjab), Lance Naik Kulwant Singh of Charik village of Moga district (Punjab), Sepoy Harkrishan Singh of village Talwandi of Gurdaspur district (Punjab) and Sepoy Sewak Singh of Bagha village of Bathinda district (Punjab).
The mortal remains were sent to their native places, they said.
Officials said a high alert has been sounded in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch amid heightened vigil along the Line of Control.
Meanwhile, Jammu witnessed several protests by BJP, VHP, Rastriya Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena, Dogra Front and Jammu Statehood organisation among others.
In a tweet, the Army said, “Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande and all ranks of Indian Army salute the supreme sacrifice of five Indian Army bravehearts, Hav Mandeep Singh, L/Nk Debashish Baswal, L/Nk Kulwant Singh, Sep Harkrishan Singh and Sep Sewak Singh who laid down their lives in the line of duty at Poonch Sector yesterday.”
Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said he was anguished at the loss of lives of the brave soldiers.
“Their rich service to the nation will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with the bereaved families,” he said in a tweet.
BSF DG Reviews Border Situation
BSF Director General S L Thaosen reviewed the security situation along the International Border (IB) on the Jammu frontier on Friday, officials said, a day after a militant attack in Poonch near the LoC killed five army personnel.
The Border Security Force’s chief arrived at the frontier headquarters in Jammu to take stock of the security situation, they said.
He was welcomed by Additional Director General (ADG), Western Command, P V Rama Sastry and IG BSF D K Boora and other officers.
Boora gave a detailed presentation to the DG, covering all the critical aspects of border security and domination on the Jammu IB & Line of Control in the wake of the terror attack on Thursday, they said.
The IG briefed the Director General about the general security scenario in the area of operation, covering the deployment pattern of BSF battalions and their robust domination on the IB on the Jammu frontier, they said.
The BSF DG also talked to the field commanders about recent threats being faced by the BSF on the LoC and the IB.
A special emphasis was given to the domination on the LoC and the IB in the wake of recent incidents in Jammu and Rajouri area, they said.
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