Government to 'avenge' Kathua deaths; weighs options

New Delhi: All options are on the table as the government has vowed to avenge the death of five soldiers in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district on Monday, adding to a spate of attacks over the past few months in the Jammu region.

Monday's attack, in which two Army trucks were ambushed by terrorists, took place in a remote part of Kathua that has no record of any recent terror activity. In fact, within the Army's distribution of areas, it falls under the Western Command based in Chandimandir, unlike most of Jammu and Kashmir that is controlled by the Udhampur-based Northern Command.

On Tuesday, Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi took a detailed review meeting of the security situation in the Western Command area. Only a small part of the Jammu region, which borders Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, falls under the Western Command and does not have any deployment of specialised Rashtriya Rifles counter insurgency units.


Sources said that the Army chief discussed counterinsurgency strategies with the Western Army commander and the several initiatives that will be rolled out in the coming days were deliberated upon. All options, including neutralising terrorists at launch pads and carrying out intelligence-based operations, are on the table.

On Tuesday, defence secretary Giridhar Aramane vowed to take action against the perpetrators of the attack. "Their (soldiers') selfless service to the nation will always be remembered and their sacrifice will not go unavenged and India will defeat the evil forces behind the attack," he said.

Earlier in the day, defence minister Rajnath Singh also held a larger meeting with the Army chief and top officials to look into future security challenges across all borders. The presence of foreign terrorists in the Jammu region has become a point of major concern for security forces. At least seven terror modules are believed to be active in the region.

In addition, more than 70 terror operatives are believed to be stationed at launch pads across the Line of Control. Heightened terror activity has resulted in a spike of attacks on security forces in the region, with the past month seeing a spate of such incidents. The arc of terror in the Jammu region has spread to almost all districts, including Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Reasi and Kathua.