POONCH/JAMMU: Four heavily-armed foreign terrorists were killed in a fierce gunfight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Tuesday, the Army said, asserting that the successful operation scuttled possible terror strikes in the region.
The killing of four terrorists comes a day after security forces foiled a major infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Krishna Ghati Sector of Poonch on the intervening night of July 16 and 17.
Earlier in the day, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Jammu zone, Mukesh Singh confirmed the killing of four terrorists in the Sindarah top area of Surankote.
"Four foreign terrorists were neutralised in a forest area during the ongoing 'operation Trinetra II'. The presence of such heavily-armed terrorists in hinterland is indicative of attempts to destabilise the region, and if not neutralised on time, these terrorists could have carried out major terrorist-initiated incidents in coming days," Commander, 6 Sector Rashtriya Rifles, Brigadier M P Singh told reporters in Poonch.
'Operation Trinetra' was launched by the Army in the aftermath of the deadly terrorist ambush on security forces' vehicles in the Mendhar area of Poonch that left five soldiers dead on April 20.
Brig Singh, who was also flanked by Poonch Senior Superintendent of Police Vinay Sharma, said a joint operation was launched by the Army and the police in the forest area on July 16 as part of relentless operations over the past three months after getting information about the movement of unidentified persons in the general area of Sindarah.
"Accordingly, the area was cordoned off after a specific intelligence with regard to the presence of armed terrorists. Based on this, the Army and Special Operations Group of Jammu Kashmir Police launched a specific cordon and search operation of this area (on July 17)," he said.
After establishing an effective cordon, the Army officer said, the troops commenced their search and approached Sindarah village. "Four terrorists who had taken shelter in the forest near the village opened indiscriminate fire on the approaching troops. Their fire was promptly retaliated and the terrorists were pinned down."
Brig Singh said the cordon was then readjusted to deny any space for the terrorists to escape.
"Special Forces (of the Army) were also inducted to augment the troops. The terrorists making use of the terrain, forest foliage and inclement weather kept opening fire on the troops in a desperate attempt to break the cordon," he said.
He said the intermittent fire between terrorists and the search parties continued throughout the day and the night before the guns fell silent around 5.30 am.
In the morning, the officer said, a detailed search of the area was carried out which led to the recovery of the bodies of slain terrorists and a huge quantity of arms and ammunition, which included four Chinese-made AK assault rifles and two pistols with a Pakistani marking.
"This joint action by Indian Army and Jammu Kashmir Police has resulted in saving lives and contributed towards maintaining peace in the region. The relentless efforts by security forces in past few months have started giving results," he said, asserting that the operations against terrorists would continue with renewed vigour to make the region terrorism-free.
The officer lauded the cooperation of the forces as well as the locals and said the people played a key role in the successful operation which speaks volumes about the love for their nation and maintaining peace.
Referring to the recent killing of terrorists on the LoC while attempting to sneak into this side from across the border, Brigadier Singh said, "It shows the neighbouring country (Pakistan) will not stop and make continue attempts to disturb our region. We will not stop and eliminate all terrorists who are hiding in the area."
SSP Poonch Vinay Sharma said the successful operation is a glaring example of the synergy between the Army and the police in the fight against terrorism. "The joint operation against terrorists will continue," he said.
Security forces killed two terrorists and foiled a major infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Poonch district, a defence spokesperson said on Monday.