Army chief reviews security situation in Srinagar

Srinagar, Apr 25: In the wake of the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 tourists, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi arrived in Srinagar on Friday and reviewed the overall security situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

The attack, which took place in the scenic Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, is being described as the deadliest terrorist incident in J&K since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

Upon his arrival, General Dwivedi was briefed at the Badami Bagh Cantonment by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 15 Corps, Lt Gen Prashant Srivastava, on the prevailing security landscape and the ongoing counter-terror operations launched in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack.

Sources said the Army Chief flew to the headquarters of the Victor Force in Awantipora ñ responsible for overseeing anti-terror operations in south Kashmir - where he held detailed deliberations with top operational commanders.

According to senior Army officials, General Dwivedi received a comprehensive briefing on the Pahalgam attack and subsequent tactical deployments aimed at flushing out the perpetrators.

ìHe was given a detailed account of the Pahalgam incident by the GOC Victor Force soon after reaching Awantipora,î officials said. ìHe also took stock of the ongoing ground operations in the area.î

The visit saw the presence of several senior Army officials including Northern Army Commander Lt Gen M V Suchindra Kumar, Deputy Chief of Army Staff and GoC-in Chief Northern Command designate Lt Gen Pratik Sharma and GOC 15 Corps Lt Gen Prashant Srivastava.