Jammu: National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken up the investigation of the Kathua militant attack that left five soldiers dead and five others injured even as J&K LG Manoj Sinha said that the perpetrators of the attack will be punished soon.
Reports said drone surveillance, sniffer dogs, sharp-shooters and experts in mountain combing and warfare are part of the massive CASO going on in the area.
Officials said that the militants are believed to be a group of three who have taken cover of the thick foliage on a hill to surprise the troops who retaliated immediately, responding with gunfire and fighting back till the militants disappeared into the dense woods, adding, “They are part of the same group which was involved in Basangarh attack in which a village defence guard Mohd Sharief was killed in an encounter with militants on April 28 in Panara village,” Officials said. The incident took place at the inter-formation boundary between Northern and Western Command. The soldiers who came under attack were among additional troops who had been deployed in the area a few weeks ago. The administrative convoy was attacked from two directions, sources said. The officer said that search for the militants, which was suspended late Monday because of heavy rain, resumed on Tuesday with joint search parties of the Army, police and CRPF launched from various directions, including Kathua, Udhampur and Doda. “Ground search teams of JKP special operation group, CRPF’s Ghatak Group and Army’s elite Para Commandos are being supported by helicopter and UAV surveillance. Sniffer dogs and metal detectors are also being employed in the operation with a focus on some dense forest areas in the belt,” the officer said.
Tributes To Fallen Soldiers:
LG Sinha: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinah has said that perpetrators of Kathua militant attack will be punished soon. He also expressed deepest condolences to bereaved families of martyrs. In his message the Lieutenant Governor said: “I salute the bravery of our army personnel, who lost their lives in a dastardly militant attack in Kathua. Deepest condolences to bereaved families of martyrs. Coordinated counter-militancy operations are underway and the perpetrators of this attack will be punished soon.” Notably five soldiers, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), were killed and five others were injured when a group of militants ambushed two army vehicles on patrolling duty near Badnota village in Kathua district on Monday afternoon.
Army’ Tributes: Army’s Western Command has shared photographs and details of slain soldiers, as the area of operation came under Yol, Himachal Pradesh based 9 Corps. “Nashak Navtara Corps Commander & all ranks paid homage to #bravehearts Nb Sub Anand Singh,Hav Kamal Singh, Nk Vinod Singh, Rfn Anuj Negi & Rfn Adarsh Negi for sacrificing their lives in service of the nation. We stand in solidarity with the bereaved family members,” army’s Western Command posted on X. It added that Indian Army and Western Command salute the bravery and supreme sacrifice of five soldiers in Kathua Sector, Jammu on 08 July 24 while fighting the scourge of militancy. Army Commander & all ranks stand in solidarity with bereaved families. Joint operation in progress. Earlier, on July 8, five Army personnel, including a junior commissioned officer, were killed, and five others injured on the rugged Machedi-Kindli-Malhar mountainous road near Badnota village, about 150 kilometers from Kathua district headquarters. This incident marks the fifth militant attack in the region within a month. Five jawans from Uttarakhand identified as Naib Subedar Anand Singh Rawat, resident of Rudraprayag district, Havildar Kamal Singh, resident of Pauri district, Naik Vinod Singh, resident of Tehri Garhwal district, Rifleman Anuj Negi, resident of Pauri district, Adarsh Negi, resident of Tehri Garhwal district made the supreme sacrifice in the militant attack.
NIA Visit To Incident Site: National Investigation Agency (NIA) also arrived at the incident site where an Army convoy was ambushed Monday this week. Meanwhile, security has been tightened along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway following the attack. NIA will assist the Jammu and Kashmir police in its probe of a militant attack. However, the agency has not yet registered an official case to investigate the militant attack.
Security Intensified: Day after the Kathua attack, security forces recovered 2 Mortar Shells near Ban Toll Plaza in Jammu along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. The mortar shells were noticed abandoned in a ditch by police and security forces during joint patrolling this morning. They said the experts of the bomb disposal squad were immediately rushed to the scene and both the explosive devices were safely defused around noon. Following the incident Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Jammu and Kashmir police personnel have been deployed along the National Highway (NH44) in Udhampur.
MP Khatana Tributes: Rajya Sabha MP Gulam Ali Khatana during a press briefing strongly denounced Pakistan for propelling Kathua militant attack. Terming the attack as barbaric and inhuman Gulam Ali Khatana hurled brickbat and said India will throw a tight slap to Pakistan for sponsoring militancy. Pertinent to mention, five soldiers made the supreme sacrifice in the Kathua encounter.
Farooq Abdullah’s Tributes: National Conference Chief Farooq Abdullah said that only way forward now is that the pressure of the world on that country must increase. This is not the path to peace. This is the path to destruction… “Militancy will not help anyone. If our neighbour thinks that infiltrating militants into our territory will bring change, they are wrong. They will fail… I am afraid that our anger will increase so much after this that we might resort to aggression and retaliation. They have already destroyed their country, and now a war will only further destroy it. They need to stop militancy. They are being condemned all over the world for their actions… What are they gaining from this? The families of these soldiers would be mourning and demanding retaliation. If they want to move on this path then they must be ready for the consequences also… Militancy and dialogue cannot go hand in hand. If they want good ties, they will have to walk on that path, and militancy does not lie on that path…”
Ravinder Raina’s Tributes:
Condemning the Kathua militant attack, J&K BJP President Ravinder Raina said “Cowardly Pakistani militants have carried out a cowardly attack in Jammu and Kashmir. They targeted a vehicle of the Army at night in Kathua’s Machedi area. Our brave soldiers have made the supreme sacrifice for the motherland. These militants will not be spared”
