Army’s Northern Commander reviews operational preparedness of troops

Jammu, Nov 12: Army’s Northern Commander Lt Gen M V Sudhindra Kumar on Tuesday visited the White Knight Corps here to review the operational preparedness, the military said.

The visit of the General Officer Commanding-in-chief of Udhampur-based Northern Command to the 16 corps headquarters came amid intensified anti-terror operations especially in the remote forest areas of Kishtwar district where a Junior Commissioned Officer and two Village Defence Guards were killed by terrorists in two separate incidents in the past five days.

In a post on X, Army’s Northern Command said Lt Gen Kumar visited the White Knight Corps, also known as XVI corps, to review the operational preparedness.

“The Army Cdr (commander) exhorted all ranks to maintain the highest standards of professionalism and alertness in anti terrorist operations,” the post read.

Security officials said the massive search operation in Keshwan, Kuntwara and adjoining forest areas in Kishtwar district entered the sixth day on Tuesday to track down and neutralise a group of holed up terrorists responsible for recent killings.

A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), Naib Subedar Rakesh Kumar of the Army’s 2 Para, was killed and three other soldiers injured in a gunfight with the terrorists in Keshwan forest on Sunday, while two VDGs – Nazir Ahamed and Kuldeep Kumar – were abducted and shot dead in nearby Kuntwara forest on Thursday evening.

“There was no fresh contact with the terrorists despite the intensified search operation,” an official said.

According to security officials, terror attacks have killed 44 people, including 18 security personnel, in Jammu this year with the strikes spreading from the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch to six other areas in the troubled region.

Though the Pir Panjal districts of Rajouri and Poonch witnessed a considerable drop in terror activities in 2024 compared to the previous years, the series of incidents in Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Kathua, Udhampur and Jammu from April-May onwards have kept the security agencies on their toes.