Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district stated that three men were discovered dead under strange conditions on 22nd December close to the scene of a terrorist attack on Army trucks that killed five troops and injured two others the day before. According to sources, the Army had detained eight individuals including the deceased three for questioning over the incident that occurred on 21st December near Dhatyar Morh which is under the Surankote police station’s jurisdiction and is situated between Dhera Ki Gali and Bufliaz. However, later the three persons were found dead under mysterious circumstances.
43-year-old Safeer Hussain, 27-year-old Mohammad Showket and 32-year-old Shabir Ahmad all residents of Topa Peer village of Bufliazwere identified as the deceased. The cause of their deaths was not immediately established.
Locals protested in the area following the death of the 3 civilians. Internet services have been suspended in the area following the terror attack.
Officials said that while Director General of Police R R Swain and Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain, General Officer Commanding of the White Knight Corps based in Jammu examined the ambush scene and assessed the security situation, a massive search operation is underway in the dense forests to find the assailants.
The location was also examined by a team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), led by a deputy inspector general-rank officer. However, a senior official stated that the agency has not yet been tasked with investigating the matter. Following the news of the local fatalities, Poonch Deputy Commissioner Choudhary Mohammad Yasin and Senior Superintendent of Police Vinay Kumar arrived in Bufliaz. Meanwhile, Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar is on his route to Surankote, per the officials.
Late in the afternoon of 21st December, three to four highly armed terrorists attacked an Army vehicle and a Maruti gypsy which resulted in the deaths of five troops and wounded two more. The terrorists stole some of their weapons and disfigured the bodies of at least two soldiers after the attack.
Along with senior Army and police personnel, Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain visited Ground Zero to take stock of the current state of affairs. The officials mentioned that Director General of Police R R Swain went to Poonch and evaluated the security situation along with other top officers such as the Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, Anand Jain.
An officer revealed that sniffing dogs have been sent to locate the terrorists and helicopters are also being used to aid with aerial monitoring. “A massive cordon-and-search operation began this morning after a night cordon in the area.” The operation is underway. According to the officer, more troops have been deployed into the region to hunt out the terrorists. Meanwhile, the People’s Anti-Fascist Front or PAFF which is an offshoot of Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has claimed responsibility for the terror attack.
Several groups in Jammu, including the Jammu Statehood Organisation staged anti-Pakistan demonstrations and set fire to Pakistan’s effigy. Protests against Pakistan were also organised by the Shiv Sena Dogra Front which also called for a full-scale campaign to drive out terrorists from the region. They pushed for the government to bolster the intelligence network and conduct special operations near forest regions.