Rattled Pakistan targeted Indian Army soldiers traveling in a truck ferrying ration supplies to their base headquarters in Poonch

Massive combing operations are underway in Rajouri, Poonch to track down the footprints of terrorists

April 29, 2023

Terrorists used local overground workers to carry out the attack

Director General of Jammu and Kashmir police Friday said that a group of three to five terrorists with the help of local overground workers carried out the terror attack on an Indian Army truck in the Bhatta Durrian area of Poonch on April 20 in which five soldiers sacrificed their lives while another received injuries.

DGP Dilbagh Singh also said Pakistan was rattled by the peace prevailing across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. He said the common link between all the recent terror strikes across the frontier districts of Rajouri and Poonch was they were all carried out at the behest of the same group of terrorist handlers.

Speaking to reporters in Rajouri, DGP Dilbagh Singh said, so far the police have picked up over 200 suspected people to gather vital clues about how the terror attack was executed and who all provided logistics support to these terrorists camping in the area for a long time. He said so far about half a dozen overground workers have been arrested as they were chiefly responsible for sheltering these terrorists.

Singh said the terrorists had used steel-coated armor-piercing bullets and IEDs to target an army truck in order to inflict maximum damage.

He said an intense search to track the natural hide-outs used by terrorists is being launched and initial investigations suggest that 9 to 12 foreign terrorists may be active in the Rajouri-Poonch area, who may have infiltrated recently.

Locals provided logistics support: DGP

Talking to reporters after taking stock of the ongoing search operations in the Darhal area of Rajouri district, DGP Dilbagh Singh said that the Poonch attack was carried out with the support of some locals. “Such attacks can’t be carried out without local support. The terrorists were provided shelter at one place and then provided transport to carry out the attack at another place. They had done proper reconnaissance of the area and despite the rain, they succeeded in targeting the army vehicle that was plying with almost zero speed due to a blind turn,” the DGP said, adding that “the attackers were knowing the spot and speed of the vehicle.”
The DGP said that the terrorist used steel-coated armour-piercing bullets and IEDs to blow up the army vehicle in a bid to inflict maximum damage. “Same bullets were used in the Dhangri, Rajouri attack.”

Terrorists hiding behind natural caves in the forest area?

DGP J&k police Friday said the army truck was ambushed near a forest area. Initial investigations suggest that the terrorists may have used natural hideouts to take shelter after executing the terror plot.

He said Pakistan was rattled by the peace prevailing across Jammu and Kashmir.
Singh said, “We are identifying the natural hide-outs that may have been used by the attackers before the attack and an intense search operation is on to nab the attackers.”

Replying to a query, he said that the group of terrorists involved in the recent attack might be divided into two and their number seems to be between nine to twelve.

About the local support, he said that the local Nisar Ahmed, a resident of Gursai village, was already on the suspect list of the police. “He has been an active OGW of terrorists since 1990. He was questioned several times in the past. This time, after corroborating the evidence, he was found involved in providing logistic and other support to terrorists who carried out the Poonch attack,” the DGP said, adding that Nisar’s family is also involved in providing support to terrorists.

Drone dropped weapons and cash: DGP

On whether terrorists had got weapons through drones, the DGP said that weapons, grenades, and cash were air-dropped by drone, and the same was collected by Nisar and his family members. “We are identifying the spot where the drone had dropped the weapons and cash,” he said. He said so far, 200 people were questioned and 12 suspects have been detained. He said with the arrest of Nisar, the investigation has got a direction and vital leads have been received so far.

He said that Pakistan and its agencies are supplying arms and ammunition through drones to carry out terror activities. “We have data of all involved and strict action would be taken against them, ” he added. With regard to the recent terror incident, the DGP said an investigation is in progress and all angles are being investigated.

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