New Delhi:
Even as search operations continue following the ambush on a convoy in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir in which an Indian Air Force soldier was killed and five others injured, a worrying aspect for the armed forces is how the challenging topography and dense forests in the Poonch-Rajouri region, personnel have been exposed on several occasions.
A senior government official told DailyExpertNews that the two vehicles that were attacked on Saturday were not bulletproof. “One was from the Air Force and the other from the Army. They were on their way to pick up supplies from a facility on top of a small hill. The road leading to the facility is narrow and passes through a dense forest and two vehicles cannot travel in parallel,” the officials said.
The dense foliage in the area poses a major obstacle to security forces conducting operations and they have suffered heavy casualties in the region in the past two years.
“The terrorists chose a soft target and the facility is also located in a remote area. A massive manhunt had been underway for days to arrest Pakistani-sponsored terrorists in the area. But the dense forest cover and severe weather conditions posed a hurdle. an officer on the ground said.
The Poonch-Rajouri area is also where terrorists hiding in a hilltop cave had killed five army personnel, including two special forces captains, last year. Even during that encounter, the forest and topography had proven challenging.
Security agencies said cadre of the Pakistan-based terrorist organization People's Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), led by Lashkar-e-Taiba, may have been behind Saturday's attack, which came days after Pakistan's army chief revived the Kashmir issue put. .
“Lashkar is operating behind the scenes and according to initial information, PAFF appears to be behind the attack,” the government official said.
The threat level in the area has further increased and the Ministry of Interior has asked security forces to remain vigilant. “The next 20 days will be exciting,” the official said. adds. The elections in Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency were earlier scheduled to take place on May 7, but have been rescheduled to May 25.
Two days ago, Pakistan Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir spoke about Kashmir during the graduation parade of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Academy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He expressed frustration over the lack of international support for Islamabad's position on Kashmir and claimed that the “silence of the world on Kashmir is deafening”.
The Pakistani army chief had also raised the issue of the aerial duel between the PAF and the Indian Air Force in February 2019, after the Bakalot airstrike.