The most recent update on the Doda terror attack reveals that one of the casualties was an officer, along with three other army personnel, who passed away on Tuesday due to injuries sustained during a confrontation with terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir’s Doda district. According to an official, the ongoing encounter operation commenced when troops initiated a search operation in the Desa forest area. The Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group of J&K Police were conducting the search in the Dhari Gote Urarbagi region of the forest, situated approximately 55 km away from Doda town.
During the operation, there was a confrontation with terrorists, who attempted to flee but were pursued by an officer through the thick forest. This resulted in another altercation around 9 pm, according to the authorities. The officer and four additional soldiers sustained injuries during the operation, and unfortunately, four of them later passed away due to their injuries.
A villager has informed about a suspicious movement:
On Monday, security forces were informed about suspicious activities, prompting a search operation in Jammu, Doda, and Reasi districts. A villager reported seeing three individuals in combat gear in Jammu’s Akhnoor sector and surrounding regions, leading to the search. However, no evidence was discovered at that time. It remains unclear if the subsequent evening search was related to the initial report. Additionally, a search was conducted in the Koti forest area of Doda. There has been a notable increase in violence related to terrorism in the sensitive regions of Jammu, including Poonch, Rajouri, Doda, and Reasi, since June.
What is behind the surge in terror activity in Jammu?
Following the Reasi terror attack on June 10, where nine individuals lost their lives and 41 were injured, there have been multiple clashes between security forces and terrorists. An expert mentioned in a Hindustan Times report dated July 9 that the increase in terrorist activities is due to the decrease in troop presence in Jammu. Troops are being relocated from the south of Pir Panjal range to Ladakh amidst the border tensions with China.
Lieutenant General BS Jaswal (retd) stated that terrorists are taking advantage of this troop movement to infiltrate the Kashmir valley, creating security risks. Home Minister Amit Shah recently instructed the forces to implement strategies used in Kashmir to address the violence in Jammu, with additional troops already deployed to the Rajouri-Poonch sector.