Combing operations in search of ultras behind Kulgam attack

Srinagar, August 20

The hunt is on for terrorists involved in the ambush in which three soldiers died in Kulgam district earlier this month, with security officials indicating the same group was behind attacks in Rajouri and Poonch this year.

A top security force officer said combing operations were underway in South Kashmir and quadcopters were being used extensively to track down the perpetrators of the attack. “Our assessment is that the group is still in South Kashmir and has not crossed over to the other side of the Pir Panjal mountain range. We are hoping for contact with the group before they cross over. If they manage to cross over, they will lie low for another extended period,” the senior officer said on the condition of anonymity.

Three Army personnel were killed by the terrorists in the Halan forest area of Kulgam on August 5. The troops had launched a cordon-and-search operation after picking up on signals about the possible movement of the terrorists through the forest area. A total of five soldiers were killed in Poonch in April and another five lost their lives in an attack at Bhattadurian in Rajouri in May.

“There is a striking resemblance between the attacks in Rajouri-Poonch earlier this year and the one in Kulgam recently. We believe that it is a group of six to eight terrorists who are operating on both sides of the Pir Panjal mountain range,” the official said. He said while most of the group consists of highly trained foreign terrorists, they are being supported by two to three local terrorists.