Half a dozen suspects detained, searches on
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 8: As Army and police intensified searches to neutralize the militants involved in the killing of five para commandos and injuries to a Major in an IED blast at Kandi forests of Rajouri district on May 5, nearly half a dozen suspects have been detained for questioning in connection with movement of the ultras.
The investigating agencies believed that route to eliminate militants might lead through the suspects who could be knowing the hideouts developed by them in forest areas of Rajouri and Poonch districts.
Detained suspects are being questioned to ascertain details about movement of the militants and hideouts which they could use in the jungles, sources said, adding that security forces are likely to destroy natural cave hideouts in the forests to ensure that the militants don’t manage to take shelter there in future.
There have been a number of natural cave hideouts in the jungles of Pir Panjal range covering twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri where the militants are believed to have taken shelter before and after carrying out terror strikes at Dhangri and Kandi in Rajouri district and Bhatta Durrian in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch district.
While nearly half a dozen Over Ground Workers (OGWs) were arrested after Bhatta Durrian encounter who had helped the militants in shelter, food, movement and supply of weaponry, police have so far not come across such OGWs who helped the ultras in carrying out terror strikes at Kandi forests of Rajouri district.
Meanwhile, search operations for the militants by Army, paramilitary forces and police in Kandi and surrounding forests of Rajouri district entered into fourth day today.
Forests are being scanned using choppers, drones and para commandos.
In fact, multiple operations are going on in different places of Rajouri and Poonch districts especially the forests where the militants could shift after triggering the IED blast at Kandi.
It may be mentioned here that five para commandos sacrificed their lives and a Major was injured in an IED blast triggered by the militants using remote control at Kandi forests of Rajouri district on Friday.
Prior to this, five soldiers were martyred and another injured in an ambush laid by the terrorists at Bhatta Durrian in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch district on April 20. Before that, seven civilians from minority community, two of them minors, were killed and over half a dozen were injured in terror attack on January 1 this year.
On Saturday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Army chief Gen Manoj Pande and Northern Command chief Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi visited Rajouri and reviewed security situation in Jammu and Kashmir particularly Rajouri and Poonch districts.
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