The protracted encounter with the terrorists holed up in the jungle in the Poonch area of Jammu, which has now entered the 13th day, suggests that they have received advanced military training from Pakistani special forces and have been using the densely forested local terrain with steep hills and deep caves to their advantage, according to army officials.
The encounter, which is turning out to be the longest anti-terrorist operations since 2003, has seen fierce fighting between the security forces and terrorists, who have been intermittently firing and then withdrawing deep into the densely forested area.
Nine soldiers including two army officers have been killed in action since the encounter started nearly two weeks ago. This has also brought into question the issue of whether adequate intelligence on the terror group was being made available.
While some reports say that the soldiers were ambushed, army sources have said that the contingent had some knowledge of the whereabouts of the terrorists and were in hot pursuit when the encounter took place.
According to senior army officials the topography of the area is giving a tough challenge to security forces in neutralising the militants. The mountainous terrain, covered by thick forests, ravines and gorges, all provided a safe haven for militants believed to be 8-10 in number.
Heavy firing had resumed in Poonch forest area on Friday after a 36-hour lull as the army moved in to hunt down terrorists who have also been planting explosive devices in the area.
On 18 October amid the ongoing encounter, the Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane visited the forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC). The Army chief reviewed the situation after which the forces were reportedly preparing for the final assault.
A senior army official said, "The area will be cleared, searched and sanitised completely".
Rajouri and Poonch in the Jammu region have witnessed a rise in infiltration attempts since June this year. There has been a further increase cross-border terrorism since the Taliban took over Kabul as this has emboldened Pakistan-backed militant groups
