Image Source: AGENCIES

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday reached Jammu to take stock of the security situation in the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, where terrorists have killed 35 people, including 26 soldiers, in eight attacks since October 2021. Soon after arriving, Singh, accompanied by Army chief General Manoj Pande, left for Rajouri, where an anti-terrorist operation is under way in the forested Kandi area, officials said. Five army personnel were killed and a major-rank officer was injured during a combing operation -- 'Operation Trinetra' -- in the Kandi area on Friday. A holed-up terrorist was killed and one more is believed to be injured on Saturday morning. Officials said the army chief reached Jammu from Delhi ahead of the defence minister, who followed him minutes later. Northern Army commander Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Corps commander White Knight Corps, and Divisional Commissioner, Jammu are also accompanying Rajnath to Rajouri, officials said. 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 Rajouri and Poonch, they said. Earlier in the day, Lt Gen Dwivedi visited the encounter site and was briefed on the developments in the ongoing 'Operation Trinetra' by ground commanders. Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu, 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. The loss of five jawans in Kandi forest is the third major incident this year. It took place at a time when the forces had been engaged in a massive combing operation for the past 15 days following an ambush on an army truck in Bhata Dhurian (Poonch).