Jammu, Aug 29 (IANS) Officials said on Saturday that a suspected Pakistani drone was seen hovering in the forward area along the line of control (LoC) on Friday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district.
Officials said the drone was noticed at Balakote area’s Behrooti village in Mendhar sector late Friday evening, and it moved towards the Mangalnar-Dabrote side near the border before returning to Pakistan.
“Army troops guarding the LoC intensified surveillance and launched a search operation at first light to determine whether it had dropped or carried any suspicious material.
“The search operation is still underway, and the security forces remain on heightened alert along the border.
“At the same time, police, along with Army and paramilitary forces, have been engaging in a massive search operation in the vast forested districts of Udhampur, Kathua and Rajouri following information about suspicious movement,” officials said.
According to officials, the joint search operation took place at Khuban, Nagain, Khtrail, Godu Falal, Padetar, Chor Mottu, Kia, Kheba, Bhed, Marta, Joffar and the adjoining areas in the Udhampur-Kathua forest belt on Friday evening and is still underway.
In Rajouri, another search operation was launched in Gaibas, Mithiyani, Mogla and Narla after villagers informed about the movement of two suspected armed persons, believed to be terrorists.
The densely forested areas of Rajouri, Poonch, Kathua, Ramban, Udhampur, Doda, Kishtwar and Reasi are on the scanner of the security forces, as the movement of terrorists from one area to another has been reported from these areas.
Even though no contact (firing exchange) has taken place so far during the present search operation, the security forces are keeping the hiding terrorists on the run so that they do not establish a foothold anywhere to carry out terrorist attacks against civilians and the security forces.
–IANS
sq/uk