Army Chief MM Naravane on Tuesday took first-hand assessment of the prolonged operation of the Army to flush out highly trained Pakistani terrorists from the Poonch and Rajouri districts along the Line of Control (LOC) where 9 soldiers of the Indian Army have martyred.
The encounter that is being considered as one of the deadliest operation entered the 9th day today. Because of dense forest and foliage in the area it is not yet known whether any terrorist has been killed in the heavy firing by the Indian Army. The encounter had begun on 10 October and the terrorists were frequently shifting from one place to another.
General Naravane returned to New Delhi this afternoon after his two days visit of the forward areas along the LOC.
An Army spokesman said that the Army Chief visited the forward areas of the White Knight Corps and took a first-hand assessment of the situation along the LOC. He was briefed by commanders on the ground about the present situation and ongoing counter-infiltration operations.
It is worth mentioning that among the nine soldiers martyred in the fierce gunfight, three were Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs).
The Army and J&K Police have carried out a massive combing operation and detained nine residents of the area who are suspected to have provided food and lodging to the terrorists.
The type of damage being inflicted and the guerilla type gunfight in which the terrorists are indulging without getting tracked by the troops indicates that they have been trained by the commandos of Pakistani Army.
Security forces have shut the busy Rajouri—Poonch stretch of the highway for the past five days as a precautionary measure.