Kashmir: Forces Launch Fresh Searches in Rajouri as Key Military Operation Nears a Month

Srinagar: Armed forces in the Rajouri area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Pir Panjal valley launched a mass cordon and search operation in several villages of the region, following which authorities closed the Thanamandi-Rajouri highway for vehicular traffic here on Saturday.

According to defence PRO Lt. Colonel Devender Anand, the cordon and search operation in the area is ongoing. No breakthrough has been reported so far. The officials said that the operation was launched in the wee hours after inputs about the presence of suspected militants were reported in the area.

Additional forces consisting of the Indian army, paramilitary border security forces and personnel from the Jammu and Kashmir police have also been rushed around the region as part of heightened security measures to deal with the situation.

The situation in Poonch and Rajouri areas has worsened since October 11 when a heavily armed militant group struck in the Dera Ki Gali area of Chamrair forests close to the Line of Control (LoC). The attack resulted in the killing of five army soldiers, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO). However, the armed forces could not zero in on the militants and lost two more soldiers five days after the operation was launched.

The security apparatus has since been on its toes to locate the militant group, believed to be highly trained militants from the recently established People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), which the police believes is an off-shoot of the Jaish e Mohammad (JeM).

The new contact comes when a landmine, believed to be part of an anti-infiltration system, exploded and injured a soldier in Poonch’s Kerni sector. This is the third such casualty this week after two other soldiers, including an officer, were killed in a similar explosion at Naushera, a sector close to the LoC, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi later celebrated Diwali. The blast had occurred, according to an army official, during an area domination exercise.

“The situation appears bad, and this is the second time a highway was closed in the valley, making it difficult for us. Even as the incident is happening far from where we live but, the overall situation seems very bad,” Tahir Bhat, a local of Poonch town, told NewsClick.

A month has passed since the initial firing was reported from the region, referred to as the South of Pir Panjal Range (SPPR). Since then, a massive military search operation was launched to probe the territory, especially in the Poonch-Rajouri forests that roughly cover a total of around 2000 sq km. Many in the security agencies believed that the militants would still be present in the area as options to exfiltrate back are significantly less.

“It is unlikely that the militant group that was part of the first encounter have returned. The operation occurred in the hinterland, and it is difficult to evade security cover around LoC from there, which is heightened after the reports of a fresh incursion,” a senior army official told NewsClick.

The official added that the armed forces are on the constant lookout until there is a breakthrough.

As part of the military operation, the armed forces also attempted to track the militants by using an incarcerated militant, Zia Mustafa of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). He was, however, killed while accompanying security forces to a suspected militant hideout in the Mendhar area of Poonch.

The security agencies have not reported any major ceasefire violation along the LoC this year following the new ceasefire agreement in March. However, the escalation in Pir Panjal valley is also being reported at a quick succession to the sudden upsurge in violence in Kashmir valley, which sparked serious concerns, especially in October, which witnessed about 45 killings.