Northern Army Commander Lt General Upendra Dwivedi on Friday said that Pakistan was pushing in retired soldiers of its Army to revive terrorism in the Rajouri and Poonch districts along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Jammu division.

Addressing media persons here after paying tributes to the five soldiers killed during the encounter in Rajouri, Lt General Dwivedi said, “Some of the terrorists have been found to be retired soldiers of Pakistan Army. As there are no local recruits, Pakistan is trying to push in foreign terrorists. We are trying to eliminate them.”

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The Northern Army Commander said: “Though we lost five of our brave soldiers in the encounter, we eliminated two dreaded terrorists. Our boys went after the well-trained and equipped foreign terrorists without giving any thought to their personal safety. This has dealt a major blow to the terror ecosystem and Pakistan. As per our estimation, 20-25 terrorists could still be operating in the area. We should be able to control the situation in a year’s time with the help of locals,” he said.

Since Poonch and Rajouri districts are connected with the rest of the country through a highway, there is a high probability of more terrorists hiding there.

“Ten civilians were killed by these terrorists during the year. The security forces are in high spirits. We received information about some terrorist hideouts through local sources. They were also involved in the Dangri attack where seven innocent persons were killed. We have received considerable support from the local populace and if this continues we will be able to eradicate terrorism within a year. Even this time, locals reported the movement of these two terrorists,” he said.

Lt General Dwivedi further said: “These terrorists might have received training in many countries, including Pakistan and Afghanistan. They were very well-trained and that’s why it took us some time to eliminate them. Our boys fought with courage. I presented a commendation card to Lance Naik Sanjay Bisht of 9 Para SF a week ago at Budhal and asked him what he will do in the near future. He had told me that he would eliminate these terrorists within seven days and show results. But he laid his life fighting these terrorists.”

Citing the statement of slain Captain M V Pranjal’s father in Bengaluru about how the family was waiting to hear from him and instead received his mortal remains, the Army commander said: “Captain Pranjal’s supreme sacrifice will motivate our soldiers to discharge their salient duties against all odds.”

Earlier in the morning, a wreath-laying ceremony was held here for the martyred Army personnel. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Lt General Upendra Dwivedi, DGP (J&K) R R Swain and civil and military officers paid tributes to the fallen soldiers.

A similar ceremony to pay tributes to Havildar Abdul Majid, a resident of Poonch, was held in Rajouri.