Explosion near LoC amid search for Kathua ambush terrorists

JAMMU : The Jammu region of J&K continued to grapple with terrorism-related activities as an explosion was reported near the LoC in Rajouri district late Wednesday night, while search operations in the dense forests and upper reaches of Kathua-Udhampur-Doda stretch persisted into their fourth day Thursday, targeting the terrorists responsible for Monday’s fatal ambush on a two-truck military patrol in Machedi of Kathua district.

Regarding the Rajouri blast, an official source said: “The blast occurred close to the zero line, and a suspicious movement was spotted. A search operation has been launched in the area to rule out any infiltration attempt from across the border.”

Additional troops were deployed to assist the search operations across Kathua, Udhampur, and Doda districts following the ambush that claimed the lives of five soldiers from 22 Garhwal Rifles. Since June 9, Doda has seen three terrorist-linked gunfights, while Kathua and Udhampur have each experienced two until July 10.

“Special Forces and sniffer dog units of the Army are also part of the search teams,” the source said. However, no terrorists involved in the ambush have been captured or killed yet.

“Since the ambush on an Army patrol, around 60 people have been detained for questioning, including three suspected of providing food and shelter to the terrorists,” an official said. “One of those detained is a woman who cooked food and gave it to a person suspected to be a conduit.”

Authorities have warned people against providing shelter, food, or aiding the terrorists in hiding and navigating the area undetected.

Senior BSF and police officers convened at a high-level interstate security review meeting in Kathua Thursday. GOC of White Knight Corps Navin Sachdeva reviewed security measures in the remote areas of Udhampur and Doda districts, an official said.

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