Army trying to wear out terrorists on 7th day of encounter
Army personnel were carrying out a "deliberate operation" to wear out the holed-up terrorists to avoid casualties in security forces, as their encounter in the dense forests in Poonch raged for the seventh day.
By PTI |
MENDHAR/J&K: Army personnel were carrying out a "deliberate operation" to wear out the holed-up terrorists to avoid casualties in security forces, as their encounter in the dense forests in Poonch raged for the seventh day in one of the longest battles in the border state in years.
The Army said the eight to ten terrorists holed up in the Bhati Dhar jungles in Jammu region were suspected to be from Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group.
Defence Minister A K Antony, its chief General Deepak Kapoor and senior officers in Jammu underpinned a strategy to quickly end the encounter which was marked by a heavy exchange of gunfire but acknowledged it was taking time due to the difficult terrain and to avoid casualties among securitymen.
"We want to flush out the militants but we want to ensure there is no casualties," Antony said in New Delhi.
Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor told reporters, "We are carrying out to ensure maximum attrition on the terrorists to ensure that we do not suffer any casualties... the area is very rocky and filled with natural caves. That is why it(the operation) is taking time."
Asked about a time frame to flush out the militants from their fortified cave hideouts, Gen Kapoor said the army was trying to finish off the operation as soon as possible.
Brigadier General Staff Brig Gurdeep Singh told reporters in Mendhar that it is not possible to specify as of now how long the operation will last. Singh said the undulating forest terrain in the region and the weather were acting as big constraints for the army in flushing them out.
"We are carrying out a deliberate operation to wear out the terrorists and to ensure that the casualties among our own forces are avoided. That's why we are taking time to eliminate the terrorists holed up here," Singh added.
The Army said the eight to ten terrorists holed up in the Bhati Dhar jungles in Jammu region were suspected to be from Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group.
Defence Minister A K Antony, its chief General Deepak Kapoor and senior officers in Jammu underpinned a strategy to quickly end the encounter which was marked by a heavy exchange of gunfire but acknowledged it was taking time due to the difficult terrain and to avoid casualties among securitymen.
"We want to flush out the militants but we want to ensure there is no casualties," Antony said in New Delhi.
Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor told reporters, "We are carrying out to ensure maximum attrition on the terrorists to ensure that we do not suffer any casualties... the area is very rocky and filled with natural caves. That is why it(the operation) is taking time."
Asked about a time frame to flush out the militants from their fortified cave hideouts, Gen Kapoor said the army was trying to finish off the operation as soon as possible.
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Brigadier General Staff Brig Gurdeep Singh told reporters in Mendhar that it is not possible to specify as of now how long the operation will last. Singh said the undulating forest terrain in the region and the weather were acting as big constraints for the army in flushing them out.
"We are carrying out a deliberate operation to wear out the terrorists and to ensure that the casualties among our own forces are avoided. That's why we are taking time to eliminate the terrorists holed up here," Singh added.
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