Searches continue in Butapathri

Srinagar, Oct 26: While a massive operation is underway to track the attackers, Police on Saturday said preliminary findings suggest that three to four militants carried out the deadly attack on the Army in the Butapathri area of Gulmarg in Baramulla district of north Kashmir on Thursday evening.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Baramulla, Muhammad Zaid Malik, told reporters on the sidelines of a function that based on the evidence collected at the scene, it is believed that three to four militants were involved in the attack.

“According to the evidence we got from there, 3 to 4 militants were involved in the attack,” SSP Malik said.

He said that the search operation, which had been temporarily halted on Friday night, resumed on Saturday morning with renewed vigour.

On Thursday, an Army truck was attacked in Butapathri, leaving four individuals, including two soldiers and two Army porters dead.

The attack, which occurred on Thursday, sparked a massive search operation involving security forces, drones, helicopters, and sniffer dogs, as authorities strive to locate and kill the militants responsible.

The attack took place in the Butapathri area, approximately 6 km from the tourist destination of Gulmarg, as an Army vehicle was en route to the Nagin post in the Affarwat range.

Militants opened fire at the vehicle, resulting in the deaths of two soldiers and two Army porters. Additionally, another porter and a soldier were injured in the incident.

The ongoing search operation is a collaborative effort between the J&K Police, Army, and paramilitary forces.

The operation has been extended to cover the Baba Reshi and forest areas in Gulmarg, as well as the built-up area before it.

The security forces are utilising a range of tools and strategies to track the militants, including drones and helicopters for aerial surveillance, and sniffer dogs to assist in locating potential hideouts.

On Friday, security forces deployed drones and helicopters to scour the area and the nearby Line of Control (LoC) in the Gulmarg sector.

These high-tech tools are being complemented by human and technical intelligence inputs, which are crucial in the hunt for militants.

“The area is completely dominated by the Army,” a senior Army official said. “We are verifying the reports that a militant group had infiltrated during early summer and taken shelter in the higher reaches of the Affarwat range.”

Senior officers of both the Police and the Army are closely overseeing the operation.

The use of sniffer dogs has proven particularly valuable in navigating dense forest areas, while drones and helicopters provide a bird’s eye view, helping cover large swathes of land quickly.

In the days leading up to the attack, security forces had conducted several input-based search operations targeting militants in the Kreeri, Pattan area of Baramulla district.