28-04-2023 : According to Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Dilbag Singh, the recent Poonch terror attack, which resulted in the death of five soldiers and one critically injured, was carried out with the help of some locals. Singh visited the Darhal area of Rajouri district to oversee the ongoing operation to track down the terrorists responsible for the attack. He stated that terrorists used steel-coated armour-piercing bullets and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to carry out the attack, and proper reconnaissance was done by the terrorists beforehand. Initial investigations suggest that 9 to 12 foreign terrorists may be active in the Rajouri-Poonch area, and the attackers may have recently infiltrated.
Singh also revealed that the terrorists had been given shelter by some locals, who then provided transport for the attack. He mentioned that the attack could not have been carried out without local support, and one of the locals, Nisar Ahmad, has been arrested. Ahmad, who has been an overground worker (OGW) of terrorists since 1990, confessed to giving shelter to the attackers. He and his family also collected weapons, grenades, and cash that were airdropped using a drone. The exact location where the payload was dropped is being determined.
The DGP said that the militants used natural hideouts in the forest area near the attack site. He added that the militants involved in the attack may have been divided into a group of two or three. Singh further disclosed that the same steel-coated armour-piercing bullets and IEDs were used in the Dhangri attack in Rajouri district in which seven civilians were killed on January 1. The police have detained 12 suspects, and 200 people have been questioned so far.