J&K: CRPF issues advisory for troops after Poonch ambush
What's the story
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has reportedly issued a high alert a day after the death of several Indian Army personnel in a terrorist ambush in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
Speaking to News18, a top source revealed that the CRPF also urged all troops to exercise extra caution while moving through and conducting operations in the Rajouri and Poonch parts of J&K.
Context
Why does this story matter?
On Thursday, five army personnel were killed after terrorists opened fire on an Indian Army truck transporting troops at Dera Ki Gali (DKG) in Poonch's Surankote area.
They were en route to reinforce a joint operation against terrorists that was ongoing in the area since Wednesday. Notably, this also marked the second such attack on the military in the region in under a month.
Details
Know about CRPF's new safety measures for troops
Quoting sources, News18 reported that the CRPF has also advised its troops against "blind trust" in any given input and emphasized the need for thorough verification as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SoP).
Apart from this, troops and other officials have also been mandated by the authorities to refrain from isolated movements and use bulletproof vehicles to ensure safety.
What Next?
Rely only on official channels for information: Sources
Furthermore, Thursday's attack has also triggered a comprehensive review and revision of operational protocols in the area.
While senior officers will closely monitor all operations from now on, an emphasis has been placed on shifting to relying on official channels instead of locally gathered information for inputs.
It is learned that this change in strategy will bolster the intelligence's accuracy and credibility.
Insights
Opposition leaders attack Centre over Poonch terror attack
Meanwhile, several opposition party leaders have condemned the terror attack in Poonch on Thursday and bashed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre.
Speaking about the attack, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said that the Centre was "sleeping." "If we ask questions about the Poonch incident, then they (BJP) will throw us out of Delhi or the country," he added.
Moreover, J&K National Conference supremo Farooq Abdullah highlighted the continued prevalence of terrorism despite the abrogation of Article 370.
Twitter Post
Check out Abdullah's remarks on Poonch ambush here
#WATCH National Conference MP Farooq Abdullah yesterday said, "...Even today there is terrorism in J&K, there has just been an incident. Terrorism has not ended. They(Central govt) are only talking about increasing tourism in Kashmir. Even if one tourist gets shot, no one will… pic.twitter.com/x5Cwvtv2UX
— ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2023
More details
Rajouri-Poonch region becoming hub for terror activities
It is worth noting that the Rajouri-Poonch area in J&K has allegedly been becoming a hub for terrorist activities in recent years.
For context, 10 soldiers were killed in twin attacks in these areas between April and May this year alone.
Over the last two years, more than 35 soldiers have lost their lives during different anti-terror operations in the region.