On April 23, 2023, the Indian Army’s Northern Commander, Lt General Upendra Dwivedi, said that a large search operation is underway against the terrorist attack in Poonch which has claimed the lives of five brave personnel of the Indian Army.
The incident took place in Bhata Durian where an army vehicle carrying fruits and other items for an Iftar hosted by the Rashtriya Rifles Unit (Indian Army) was ambushed on April 20, 2023.
Later, Lt Gen Dwivedi visited the Command Hospital in Udhampur and interacted with survivors of the terror attack.
On April 22, 2023, the Northern Army Commander visited the site of Bhata Durian where the attack occurred. This area is a safe haven for infiltrators from across the Line of Control (LoC) due to its topography, dense forest cover and natural caves.
While the search operations are underway amid a high alert in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, traffic was restored on the morning of April 23, 2024, which was suspended since the evening of April 20, 2023.
The traffic was diverted and to other routes to protect and secure the highway which connects the twin border districts with Jammu.
A total of 14-16 people have been detained for questioning. Among the two rounded people, are couples from Degwar in Poonch-Iqbal and his wife Mudifa and Salam Din and his wife Rashida. Further investigations are on.
The slain soldiers were from the Rashtriya Rifles (a regiment of the Indian Army that is deployed or tasked with counter-terror operations).
According to earlier sources, the attack was suspected of having been carried out by a group of three to four terrorists belonging to the Jammu and Kashmir Ghaznavi Force (JKGF). The attackers possibly spent more than a year in Rajouri and Poonch and had adequate knowledge of the terrain. JKGF is active in the area and its commander Rafiq Ahmed aka Rafiq Nayi hails from this region.
