JAMMU: Ahead of Independence Day, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar visited forward locations of Counter Insurgency Force (Delta) in J&K’s Doda and Kishtwar districts Tuesday and exhorted officers of all ranks to maintain the tempo of anti-terror operations to ensure security of ongoing and upcoming national events in the region.
In light of increased terrorist activity, Lt Gen Kumar reviewed the ongoing anti-terror operations in Chenab region. He also assessed options for deploying additional forces being inducted into the area and stressed on Army’s synergy with J&K Police and paramilitary forces, a Northern Command spokesperson said.
Security forces have been combing the interiors of Jammu division following a spurt in terrorist violence since June 9 when an ambush on a pilgrim bus in Reasi district left nine people dead. Security forces lost 11 men — 10 soldiers and one CRPF head constable — in subsequent attacks in Kathua and Doda districts. On July 10, terrorists attacked a police picket in Basantgarh and fled. Earlier, a village defence guard named M Sharif was killed during a gunfight between security forces and terrorists in Panara village of Basantgarh on April 28.
The Udhampur-Samba-Kathua region, sharing a border and characterised by thick forests and mountainous terrain, provide terrorists with ample cover to evade detection. Terrorists crossing the Pakistan border had been known to use the Bani-Basantgarh route from Kathua as a conduit to enter Doda and then proceed to Kashmir valley.
In light of increased terrorist activity, Lt Gen Kumar reviewed the ongoing anti-terror operations in Chenab region. He also assessed options for deploying additional forces being inducted into the area and stressed on Army’s synergy with J&K Police and paramilitary forces, a Northern Command spokesperson said.
Security forces have been combing the interiors of Jammu division following a spurt in terrorist violence since June 9 when an ambush on a pilgrim bus in Reasi district left nine people dead. Security forces lost 11 men — 10 soldiers and one CRPF head constable — in subsequent attacks in Kathua and Doda districts. On July 10, terrorists attacked a police picket in Basantgarh and fled. Earlier, a village defence guard named M Sharif was killed during a gunfight between security forces and terrorists in Panara village of Basantgarh on April 28.
The Udhampur-Samba-Kathua region, sharing a border and characterised by thick forests and mountainous terrain, provide terrorists with ample cover to evade detection. Terrorists crossing the Pakistan border had been known to use the Bani-Basantgarh route from Kathua as a conduit to enter Doda and then proceed to Kashmir valley.