Troops step up search for terrorists who killed 5 soldiers in Kashmir

More soldiers have joined the hunt in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua-Udhampur-Doda belt for terrorists who killed five military personnel three days ago, officials said on Thursday.

Authorities have since detained as many as 60 people for questioning including a woman who is alleged to have cooked food for some 10 to 15 people, the officials said.

Security agencies suspect that the food was intended for the terrorists.

The search operation is concentrated in the hills and dense forests of the Kathua-Udhampur-Doda region. The Monday attack also left some 60 people injured.

In Kathua, police and Border Security Force officers from Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab met to discuss the security grid along the international border. The terrorists are believed to have infiltrated from Pakistan.

Joint strategy

The officials discussed a joint strategy to address cross-border infiltration along the Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab stretch of the international border and countering terrorist activities in the Jammu region bordering Punjab, the officials said.

Authorities fear that the terrorists may have planted improvised explosives devices knowing well that a massive security operation will follow a terror attack.

Rising terror attacks

The search for the terrorists has been expanded into the hilly areas of Kathua, Udhampur and Doda districts of Jammu region, which has seen a spike in terrorist incidents since June.

Troops from the army's 9 Corps have intensified their presence in the Kathua hills. The Delta Force of the 16 Corps has moved in more men in the twin districts of Udhampur and Doda.

This has been done to cordon the hilly areas so that the terrorists cannot escape, the officials. The ground teams are being supported by surveillance data from unmanned aerial vehicles.

These areas are characterized by dense forests, deep valleys, caves and rugged terrain.