Northern Command chief reviews anti-terror operations in Kishtwar

Days after the killing of two Village Defense Guards (VDGs) and a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Army, General Officer Commanding in Chief (GOC-in-C) of Army’s Northern Command, Lt General MV Suchindra Kumar, visited Kishtwar on Tuesday and took a first-hand review of the anti-terrorist operations going on in the region.

Two VDGs were brutally killed in the forest area of Kuntwara in the district on November 7 after which a joint search operation was launched by the Army and police in which a JCO suffered a volley of bullets in Keshwan forest when the terrorists hiding in the bushes opened fire on the search team.

An Army official informed that Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar, accompanied by GOC White Knight Corps and GOC CIF (D) visited Kishtwar to review the prevailing security situation. “The Army commander was briefed on operational preparedness and ongoing operations. He commended the troops for their unwavering commitment and exhorted all ranks to maintain exemplary professionalism in conduct of operations,” the official said.

Forest areas of Doda, Kishtwar, Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi have become a safe haven for terrorists as after ambushing soldiers, they easily vanish into the woods in these districts. Many ambushes have taken place during the search operations launched after information about presence of ultras.

Also, the security forces have so far not been completely successful in weeding out the local support for terrorists, which is evident from the fact that they are able to thrive in deep jungles for months.

Police and Army had in the past stated that a network of over ground workers (OGWs) was being run by terrorists from the region, who have fled to Pakistan Occupied J&K years ago and are now in contact with their associates in parts of Jammu division.

Interestingly, the Army is also keeping a close watch on the Line of Control (LoC) to avoid any fresh infiltration. It was earlier reported that large scale infiltration had taken place from International Border in Kathua that is manned by the Border Security Force (BSF). However, questions have also been raised on the intelligence network of the police at micro level even as several terrorists were able to enter this side of the border.

Meanwhile, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Anand Jain visited the border area of Poonch and conducted a comprehensive review of the district’s operational and training preparedness.

During the visit, the ADGP was briefed on the status of the training programmes, operational readiness, the overall security scenario, and the measures put in place to strengthen the security apparatus in the region.

The ADGP also interacted with the personnel of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of police that mostly take part in operations against ultras. He emphasised upon the officials to strengthen the intelligence network and work in a well-coordinated and synergized manner to counter threat on any front.