Army Chief in Jammu to review security situation

Jammu, November 3

Army Chief General MM Naravane on Wednesday carried out an aerial reconnaissance of forward areas and was briefed about the security situation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu region, officials said.

This is his second visit in two weeks amid an ongoing operation against terrorists in a forest belt in twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri, which is the longest one in the recent past that entered 24th day on Wednesday. General Naravane arrived in Jammu on a two-day visit to review the security situation and operational preparedness, and immediately flew to Rajouri district, officials said.

He will visit forward areas and interact with troops and commanders on ground, the Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI) of the Army tweeted.

On October 18 and 19, the Army Chief had conducted a two-day tour of the Jammu region and reviewed the ground situation and the ongoing counter-infiltration operation. He had also visited the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, where a massive operation to track down the terrorists hiding in the forest areas of Mendhar, Surankote and Thanamandi has been going on since October 11. The operation started in Surankote forest on October 11, following the killing of five soldiers, including a JCO.

The operation was subsequently extended to Mendhar to neutralise the fleeing terrorists where another encounter took place on October 14, leaving four soldiers, including another JCO, killed.

The police have arrested a terrorist associate allegedly having links with terrorist handlers across the border, while over a dozen others are also being questioned in connection with providing logistic support to the terrorists in the forest belt. — PTI

24 days of ops

• The Army operation to trace the hiding terrorists in the forest belt of the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri entered 24th day on Wednesday.
• It began on 11 October. Terrorists have killed nine soldiers since then. A terror aide has also been arrested.