Terror clampdown in Rajouri-Poonch stepped up: Commander

SRINAGAR: The army has intensified a crackdown on terrorists in J&K’s Rajouri-Poonch belt with a focus on strengthening synergy between various security agencies, Northern Commander Lt General Upendera Dwivedi said Sunday, highlighting a renewed thrust on an area where a spate of terror attacks in the past year has killed over 20 soldiers.

Speaking in Srinagar, Dwivedi indicated that Pakistan was fomenting the strikes in the Jammu region. “In the last few years, the Rajouri-Poonch area has witnessed prosperity...investment and employment. Our neighbouring country is not able to digest the peace and prosperity. So, it is promoting terrorism in the area. We have started taking strong action and you will see control over it in the coming days,” Dwivedi said.

The commander sought to draw attention to breakthroughs in checking infiltration from across the border. “We declared 2023 as a zero-infiltration year, which means there was no infiltration from the Line of Control.”

According to Dwivedi, terror recruitments in J&K are on the wane, dropping almost 85% to 19 in 2023 from 122 in 2022. “We will continue to ensure that local terrorist recruitment is plugged,” he said.

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