Two more terrorists killed in Akhnoor

A day after a terrorist was eliminated during an encounter following an ambush attempt on an Army ambulance in Akhnoor sector of Jammu district, two more heavily armed ultras were neutralised in an early morning operation by the Army on Tuesday.

One US-made M-4 carbine, two AK-47 assault rifles and huge quantity of war-like stores were recovered from the slain terrorists, believed to be Pakistani. The search operation in the area continued till late Tuesday evening to sanitise the area of any IEDs or explosives left behind by the terrorists. The bodies of the terrorists were recovered by afternoon.

Three terrorists were spotted near Assan Mandir in Battal village of Akhnoor on Monday morning after which an anti-terror operation was launched. However, the ultras attacked an ambulance.

Major General Sameer Srivastava, GOC of 10 RAPID, during a media briefing said that the operation started at around 7.20 am on Monday in which three hardcore terrorists have been eliminated.

“This was a best example of coordination among different security agencies. A major role was played by locals as we got information about suspicious movement in the village soon after the ultras were spotted. This was the reason that a quick operation was initiated and the terrorists were not able to succeed in any damage,” Maj Gen Srivastava said.

He said that the terrorists tried to attack an Army vehicle but the driver was vigilant and he drove the ambulance away. “QRT was immediately informed that pinned down these terrorists in a small area and did not allow them to move from there,” the Maj Gen said.

The Army said that the way in which terrorists were armed, “they had come to do something big”.

The Army has deployed BMP-2 infantry combat vehicles in its search operations.

The Army also used artificial intelligence which resulted in success of the operation. Night surveillance devices, unmanned ground vehicles and surveillance drones ensured real-time tracking and prevented potential escapes.

“We lost an Army dog that was walking ahead of troops during the search operation. He sacrificed his life and saved many lives,” said the Major General.

The security forces faced challenge in the area as it was infested with thick foliage. Villages in the proximity were another challenge as the security forces tried to avoid any damage to the locals.

Maj Gen Srivastava said that as per information, this was not a freshly infiltrated group of terrorists. “It seems they had come from some other area specifically to ambush Army vehicles. They might have come from other area after infiltration from there,” he claimed.

A huge quantity of dry fruits and medicines were recovered from the ultras. Interestingly the medicines were not in their original packing but in transparent packs along with slips identifying the purpose for which they are supposed to be used.

Solar panels to recharge the batteries were also recovered along with a binocular and digital watch.