Rajouri: The security grid and intelligence agencies on Thursday issued a fresh security alert asking all the field agencies and forces to maintain the highest degree of alertness, amid suspicion of presence of multiple militant groups in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch.
Official sources told Greater Kashmir that the fresh security alert was issued at a time when a fierce anti-militancy operation was going on in the dense forest area of Dehra Ki Gali.
Sharing more details, these sources said that during the intervening night of October 10 and 11, an operation was launched in Bhangai village area of Thannamandi near Dehra Ki Gali after reports of suspicious movement in the area. “On Monday morning, when an army team was moving towards the area in order to lay outer cordon, it came under fire from militants in Chamrer village forests located several kilometres from Bhangai,” the sources added.
“Later by Monday evening, the security forces were able to establish contact with militants in Bhangai area after which a fire-fight took place which clearly hinted towards the presence of militants at two different places,” the officials added.
“Given the situation, one can easily suspect the presence of two separate militant groups in this area,” they said, adding that these two groups could either be part of the same parent group or could be completely two separate groups.
“The intelligence agencies are already following footprints of a militant group that is present in the upper tract of Thannamandi, Surankote, Mendhar and Manjakote sub-division for the last few weeks. But now there are apprehensions that yet another or two more groups may be present in Rajouri and Poonch,” said official sources.
“You just cannot say anything about the exact number of groups but their number may range from one to four. Only one group has been reportedly present in the area for the last few weeks and rest of the groups, if any, are possibly freshly infiltrated,” the official sources said.
They claimed that intelligence agencies already issued a fresh security alert with regard to the situation emerging and best possible arrangements in terms of security were being put in place in order to plug escape routes of these militant groups and to intercept them at the earliest.
“We are not authorised to speak on security matters in public but it is true that the security is on high alert. The manhunt is on to capture those militants whose number is not exactly clear,” a senior police official said while wishing anonymity.