Poonch: Killed terrorists were Pakistani nationals, reveal identity cards
The identity cards of four terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Tuesday revealed that all of them were Pakistani citizens, reported the Hindustan Times. They were members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group. Three of them were named Mehmood Ahmed, Abdul Hameed, and Mohammed Shareef. The fourth terrorist's name is unknown. His document said he belonged to Khurshidabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Why does this story matter?
On Tuesday, the Indian Army and J&K Police gunned down four terrorists in Sindarah village of Poonch. This comes around two months after officials launched counter-terror operations to locate terrorists involved in the April 20 and May 5 terror attacks in Poonch. Both attacks killed 10 soldiers combined. Reportedly, the slain terrorists were part of the unit that carried out those attacks.
Terrorists active in Rajouri-Poonch for 18 months
The terrorists were aged around 23-25 and part of a 12-member unit led by Sajjid Jutt, an operator between PoK's Kotli and Pakistan's Sialkot across the international border. Reports said the unit has been active in the Rajouri-Poonch sector for the last 18 months, providing protection to jihadists as they enter and leave from the south of Pir Panjal and the South Kashmir region.
24 civilian, military deaths since 2020
The Army recovered four AK-47 rifles, two pistols, and warlike stores from the terrorists. According to the Hindustan Times, LeT terrorists have been taking advantage of densely forested areas in the Rajouri-Poonch region. Since 2020, about 24 civilian and military casualties have been recorded in the area. With the aforementioned attacks, LeT tried to derail the May 24 G-20 event on tourism in Kashmir.
Encounter was part of Operation Trinetra II
The Indian Army and the police's joint operation was codenamed Operation Sindarah. It was a sub-chapter of the larger Operation Trinetra II. While the former operation has ended, the latter will continue, targeting other Pakistani terrorists in the forested areas. Tuesday's counterstrike was carried out by the 16 Corps of the Army, the J&K Police's Special Operations Group, and actionable intelligence from central agencies.
