Kathua attack: Joint search operations launched to track down terrorists

JAMMU: A massive joint search operation was initiated on Tuesday to locate the terrorists responsible for the fatal attack on an army patrol party in Kathua district, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in the death of five personnel, officials reported.

The ground search teams are receiving support from helicopter and UAV surveillance, and sniffer dogs and metal detectors are being utilized in the operation, with a particular emphasis on certain dense forest areas in the region.

Officials stated that the joint cordon and search operation was initiated by the army, police, and CRPF in the areas of Machedi, Badnote, Kindli, and Lohai Malhar, with a significant area being cordoned off.

On Monday, five army personnel, including a Junior Commissioned Officer, were killed and an equal number were injured when heavily armed terrorists ambushed a patrolling party in the remote Machedi area.

According to sources, it is believed that three to four terrorists, primarily foreigners, carried out the attack. They belong to the same group that was involved in the Basangarh attack on April 28 in Panara village, where a village defence guard named Mohd Sharief was killed in an encounter with terrorists.

In June, security forces had detected the movement of one group in the upper reaches of Bani, Daggar, and Kindli areas of Kathua district and conducted search operations.