Terrorists Were Present In Area For 3 Months: J&K Police On Poonch Attack

Terrorists involved in the attack on security forces in Jammu's Poonch district that killed five army personnel were present in the area for two to three months, Jammu and Kashmir Police said on Tuesday.

The terrorists have been confined to a particular area, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Rajouri-Poonch range Vivek Gupta told reporters and asserted that the operation will be taken "to a logical conclusion in the shortest time".

A cordon and search operation (CASO) was launched by the security forces on Monday when terrorists attacked a party that was part of a CASO, killing five army personnel, Vivek Gupta said.

Asked if the terrorists involved in the attack had recently infiltrated, the DIG said that the "group was present in the area for two to three months. The area of the contact and the attack are both in the same belt."

The police officer said that the joint parties have cordoned the area as part of the operation. "We are confident that it will be taken to a logical conclusion in the shortest time", he said.

The DIG refused to divulge details about the number of terrorists who are suspected to be involved since the ongoing operation. He also denied that the terrorists were getting any local support.

He said that the operation is being conducted with a certain strategy and "in previous operations too in these belts, they took certain time but we were successful in eliminating terrorists".