3 weeks on, no breakthrough in Poonch terror attack case

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, May 26

The J&K Police and Army officials are yet to make an arrest even after three weeks of terrorist attack on an Indian Air Force (IAF) convoy in the Shaistar area of Poonch district, in which an IAF corporal was killed in the line of duty and four others were injured.

While searches in the forest area of Poonch where the attack took place on May 4 are on, the security forces have not got a trace of the terrorists as they might be using natural cave hideouts in the forest areas of Rajouri-Poonch, also known as Pir Panjal range.

According to sources in Army intelligence, terrorists who were involved in the ambush had the knowledge of jungle warfare and that of hiding in forest areas. There have been three similar attacks on security forces in Poonch district since past one year in which similar tactics were used by terrorists.

“In all three attacks which took place in Poonch on April 20 and December 21 last year and May 4 this year, terrorists waited for the convoy of soldiers before attacking them. The attacks were pre-planned for which internal inquiries were also conducted. However, it is still not known as to how the ultras were able to manage to get information about the movement of these convoys,” said intelligence sources.

The forces had heightened security measures ahead of the elections in Rajouri and Poonch on Saturday. Both the districts are in Anantnag constituency.

It is believed that the terrorists involved in the IAF convoy attack also included a sniper who was firing on the two vehicles from inside the forest cover while two ultras came out in open. The Tribune had earlier reported that one of the three terrorists was an ex-Pakistan Army regular who had received training in jungle warfare and techniques to sustain in forest areas.

“The natural caves are providing a cover to these terrorists, who attack security forces and run deep into forest areas. The security forces searching for them are not able to find these ultras as they keep on switching their location in dense forests,” said sources.

Security forces are searching for the terrorists with surveillance gadgets, including drones. Sniffer dogs were also used in the searches in Shaistar, Gursai, Sanai, Lasana, and Sheendara top in the Surankote belt and adjoining areas.

Top Army and police officials have held a series of meetings to form a strategy to find these terrorists and also to repel similar attacks in future. Rajouri and Poonch districts have witnessed some of the deadliest attacks in the recent times.