Search for terrorists in the hills and dense forests of Kathua-Udhampur-Doda area, additional army personnel deployed

Jammu, July 11 (HS). Additional army troops have been deployed in the hills and dense forests of Kathua-Udhampur-Doda area of ​​Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, the search for the terrorists who ambushed the army patrol in Kathua district continued for the fourth day on Thursday.

Army officials said that so far 60 people have been detained for questioning after five army personnel were martyred in the attack on Monday. These include three people who are suspected of providing food and shelter to terrorists. Among those detained is a woman who cooked food for 10 to 15 terrorists and gave it to a person. Officials said that security agencies suspect that this food was meant for the terrorists.

In Kathua, senior police and Border Security Force officials of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab met to discuss the security grid along the International Border (IB), officials said. They said the interstate security review meeting discussed devising a joint strategy to tackle cross-border infiltration along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab and to counter terrorist activities in the Jammu region bordering Punjab.

About the search operation, officials said the troops were moving cautiously as there was a threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDS). The search operation has been expanded to the hilly areas of Kathua, Udhampur and Doda districts of Jammu region where terror incidents have increased since June. Troops of the Army's 9 Corps have increased their presence in the hills of Kathua, while Delta Force of 16 Corps has deployed more personnel in the twin districts of Udhampur and Doda.
Officials said this was done to cordon off the hilly areas so that the terrorists could not escape. They said ground teams were being assisted by surveillance data received from unmanned aerial vehicles. They said special forces of the army and sniffer dogs have been deployed. Officials said these areas have dense forests, deep valleys, caves and rugged terrain where the soldiers have to face adverse weather conditions like rain and fog. They said security measures have been increased along highways and other sensitive areas, including the sites of the ongoing Amarnath Yatra, to deal with potential IED threats.