Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reached Jammu today to take stock of the security situation in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch. AIR Correspondent reports that soon after arriving, Singh, accompanied by Army Chief, General Manoj Pande, left for Rajouri, where an anti-terrorist operation is underway in the forested area of Kesari hills in Kandi area. Five army personnel were martyred and a major-rank officer was injured during a combing and search operation (‘Operation Trinetra’) in the Kandi area on Friday. A holed up terrorist was killed and one more is believed to be injured this morning.
Northern Army commander Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Corps commander White Knight Corps, and Divisional Commissioner, Jammu are also accompanying Rajnath Singh to Rajouri. After getting a brief on the operation in Kandi forest, the defence minister will likely chair a high-level security meeting to review the overall security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, especially in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch. Earlier in the day, GoC in chief Northern Command, Lt Gen Dwivedi visited the encounter site and was briefed on the developments in the ongoing ‘Operation Trinetra’ by ground commanders. Rajouri and Poonch districts in Jammu division, which were declared terrorism-free more than a decade ago, have been rocked by a series of deadly attacks by terrorists in the past 18 months.
