Major infiltration bid foiled on Poonch LoC: Army

Rajouri: Security forces Monday stated to have foiled a major infiltration bid by killing a terrorist on the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector.

The slain terrorist was identified as the Hizbul Mujahideen divisional commander Muneer Hussain, a resident of Poonch district.

Addressing a joint press conference, Commanding Officer Avijit Singh and Senior Superintendent of Police Poonch Vinay Kumar Sharma said, ‘Indian army and Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police have foiled a major infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector. The complete operation was based on intelligence of Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP) about the likelihood of an infiltration attempt duly corroborated by military and civil intelligence agencies.”

“The Indian army troops along with Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police had put in place multiple ambushes along the Line of Control in Poonch sector, which resulted in foiling of this infiltration bid,” Commanding Officer said.

“At approximately around 2 am during the intervening night of August 6 and 7, our alert troops deployed on the Line of Control in the Poonch sector observed a suspicious movement of a group of two individuals trying to sneak across the Line of Control. Troops kept the movement of the infiltrating group under continuous observation through new generation electro optical devices and as both the infiltrators moved towards our side of the Line of Control, the ambushes challenged the infiltrators,” he said.

According to him, on being challenged, the infiltrators opened fire on army troops.

“In the ensuing firefight, one terrorist was shot dead and another was injured. The injured terrorist managed to sneak into the forest close to Line of Control, taking advantage of the thick foliage, rain and rocky outcrop,” he said, adding that the area was immediately cordoned to prevent his escape across the Line of Control.

Joint search operation was launched after first light in which the body of one terrorist was recovered, he said.

“The killed terrorist was identified on the basis of police records as Muneer Hussain, son of Sattar Mohammad, resident of Bagyal Dara, Poonch. He was a dreaded terrorist – a Divisional Commander of Hizbul Mujahideen,” Singh said.

It was informed during the press conference that the individual “had gone to the Pak occupied Jammu and Kashmir in the 1990s and had master-minded a number of attacks on security forces.”

“Inputs suggested that he was given the task of re-vitalizing the terrorist activities in the south of Pir Panjal ranges. The search operations led to the recovery of one AK 56; one 9 mm pistol with Silencer; one magazine of AK 56; 10 rounds of 7.62 mm; nine rounds of 9 mm; two hand grenades; eatables and medicines. Recovery of the pistol with silencer indicated that the individual was likely to be quite high in the hierarchy of the terror outfit,” Singh said.

“By their quick action, alert Indian army and Special Operations Group troops have thus prevented a major infiltration bid and neutralized the top Divisional Commander of Hizbul Mujahideen. The operation has once again proven the existing synergy among all security agencies operating in this area and highlighted the close coordination among them,” he said.

“This incident also highlights Pakistan’s attempts of reviving terrorism in South of Pir Panjal Ranges exploiting the terror veteran,” said the army officer.

“We wish to assure the people of the region that the Indian army continues to remain alert on the Line of Control and is fully prepared to thwart any such attempts in the future too,” he further said.

SSP Poonch Vinay Kumar Sharma too reiterated that foiling this infiltration attempt exhibited the top level synergy between security forces and intelligence agencies.

He said that the terrorist eliminated rose to the top level in his outfit and was an important man to revive terrorism in the area and his name had also surfaced in a recent terror incident.

Pertinent to mention here that one terrorist, suspected to be a Pakistani, was killed in an encounter that took place at Gundha village of Rajouri on Saturday evening.

On Sunday, ADG Jammu zone Mukesh Singh, while addressing a press conference after the Rajouri encounter, had stated that two to three terrorist groups, each comprising two to three terrorists, were presently active in parts of Rajouri and Poonch.