Army foils terror attack in J-K's Rajouri, massive hunt launched: Updates

Rajouri terror attack: The terrorists fired at the Army post in the Gunda area after which the troops guarding the post retaliated, resulting in a firefight

Rajouri terror attack: The Indian Army foiled a major terror attack on the house of a Village Development Committee (VDC) at Gunda village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri on pre-dawn Monday, resulting in an exchange of heavy gunfire and prompting the launch of a search operation in the area, the White Knight Corps said.

“Op Gunda Terrorists attacked the house of a VDC at Gunda, Rajouri at 0310h. A nearby Army column reacted and a firefight ensued. Operations are continuing,” the White Knight Corps said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

According to the sources, the terrorists also tried to attack an ex-serviceman but the presence of the security forces prompted them to flee.

The terrorists fired at the Army post in the Gunda area after which the troops guarding the post retaliated, resulting in the firefight, an Indian Army spokesperson said.

Unconfirmed reports say that a jawan and a civilian might be injured in the attack. Visuals emerged from Rajouri, showing the security forces conducting a nighttime search operation.

More details are awaited.

What explains the surge in terror attacks in Jammu?

Last week, four soldiers including an officer were killed in a terror attack in Doda district of Jammu. One of the most shocking terror attacks in recent months occurred in Reasi district on June 10 when the terrorists opened fire on a pilgrim bus, killing nine people and injuring dozens.

The sensitive areas of Poonch, Rajouri, Doda and Reasi are particularly vulnerable to attacks. Experts attribute the recent increase in terror attacks to the void created by a reduction in troop density in Jammu.

Since 2021, the south of Pir Panjal range, which includes these districts, has had a decline in troops as they are being re-deployed in Ladakh amid border row with China.

Former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General BS Jaswal (retd) noted that the infiltrators are looking at using “ingress routes to enter the Kashmir valley” from this (Jammu region) side, posing security challenges.\

Congress attacks Modi govt on Jammu situation

Reacting to the recent attack in Doda on July 16, the Opposition Congress heavily came down on the Narendra Modi government for failing to address the security challenges.

The party alleged that the Prime Minister does not care about the situation and referred to the attacks that have happened since June 9, the day the Modi government was sworn in for the third time.