‘Incident reminds of 2001 attack’

Rajouri, Dec 21: Terrorists’ attack on army vehicles in dense forest area on Dehra Ki Gali-Bufliyaz road on Thursday reminded one and all of 2001 ambush attack on vehicle of District Principal and Session Judge in Surankote.

Terrorist attack on army vehicles at Sawania Morh between DKG- Bufliyaz on Thanamandi-Surankote road in Poonch district has resulted into death of four army personnel and injuries to three others.

The attack has brought back painful memories of a similar deadly ambush laid by terrorists 22 years ago in which a District and Sessions Judge and three others were killed in Dehra Ki Gali (DKG) forest area in the border district.

The attack was carried out on December 5, 2001 on Thanamandi-DKG-Surankote road stretch that connects Rajouri and Poonch districts as an alternate road to Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch National Highway between the twin districts.

This stretch of Thanamandi-DKG-Surankote also connects to Mughal road.

The terrorists had laid ambush in dense woods of Dehra Ki Gali forests between Dehra Ki Gali top and Bufliyaz.

The stretch between Dehra Ki Gali and Bufliyaz is one of the dense forest areas, located on the boundary of Rajouri and Poonch districts.

This stretch leads to Chamrer forests and finally Bhata Dhurian forests.

The terrorists in 2001 had ambushed the official vehicle of the District and Sessions Judge V K Phool, who was on his way to his home in Poonch from Rajouri.

In this deadly attack, which was the first such attack on any judicial officer in the Pir Panjal region, the District and Sessions Judge, his friend, and two police personnel, who were his bodyguards, were killed by terrorists.