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Police officials said the searches were part of an ongoing investigation and intelligence-led efforts to dismantle the support network of terrorist outfits operating in the region
Security personnel during a search operation following a terror attack at Pahalgam, in Anantnag district. (Image: PTI)
Armed police and soldiers searched homes and forests as part of a massive anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, as Indian Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi visited the area to review security after the deadly Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives.
According to the police, the searches were part of an ongoing investigation and intelligence-led efforts to dismantle the support network of terrorist outfits operating in the region. The searches took place in Anantnag district, where Pahalgam is located, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Pulwama, Kathua, Kulgam, Poonch, Rajouri, Kishtwar, and Udhampur.
Gen Dwivedi reached the Northern Command headquarters in Udhampur and was briefed on the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch-Rajouri districts and other areas south of Pir Panjal mountain ranges.
On the same day, an overground worker (OGW) of terrorists was killed while two security force personnel were injured in an encounter in Bandipora district, officials said. Also, a pony operator was arrested from Ganderbal after a woman alleged that he had asked about her religion and other details during the terror strike in Pahalgam while police in Handwara attached property worth lakhs belonging to an alleged terror handler based in Pakistan.
Security has been increased in Kashmir after the Pahalgam attack. Sniffer dogs and anti-IED teams of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) are checking important locations to ensure security in Srinagar.
UDHAMPUR
As Gen Dwivedi visited the Northern Command headquarters in Udhampur, a combing operation to track down three escaped terrorists entered its second day with security agencies strengthening the multi-layered cordon.
Forces are scouring the forest area in Udhampur district, where the terrorists were believed to be hiding, as well as areas in Kishtwar, Kathua, Rajouri, and Poonch. “The search operation by the army, police, and CRPF special forces has been ongoing in Dudu-Basantgarh. It is underway to track down the terrorists on the run,” said a security official.
The operation is backed by aerial surveillance by a chopper and drones. On Thursday (April 24), a soldier of the special forces of the army was killed in an encounter with terrorists in the Dadu-Basantgarh belt.
The soldier was Havaldar Jhantu Ali Sheikh of 6 Para of the Special Forces.
A search is on in the Chatroo area of Kishtwar, Triyath area of Rajouri district, adjoining areas of Lakhanpur in Kathua district, and Lasana of Poonch district.
A security review meeting chaired by Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and IGP Bhim Sen Tuti was held in Doda to review the security situation and operational preparedness of the region.
There have been seven encounters in the Kathua-Udhampur-Kishtwar region of Jammu province over the past month, resulting in the deaths of five terrorists and five security personnel.
ANANTNAG, PULWAMA
Searches are ongoing across various locations in Anantnag district, where Pahalgam is located. These operations are being carried out as part of a broader counter-terrorism strategy aimed at dismantling terrorist networks and their support systems in southern Kashmir, police said.
Joint teams comprising J&K police, army, paramilitary forces, and other security agencies have been deployed to conduct coordinated searches, focusing on the residences and premises of individuals suspected to be affiliated with terror outfits. Authorities have urged the public to cooperate with the security forces and share any information that may aid in maintaining law and order.
Handwara police have conducted searches at the residence of a banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) member. The operation was carried out in the presence of senior police officers.
GANDERBAL
Security forces conducted door-to-door searches in the Ganderbal district in view of the security situation in the region, officials said.
They carried out combing operations especially in those areas with the presence of OGWs and other supporters. Searches took place in areas close to the forest line and snow line.
Officials further said suspected persons are being interrogated and people have been requested to share information on suspicious elements.
(With inputs from Ieshan Wani and agencies)
- Location :
Srinagar, India, India