IAF convoy attack: Several detained for questioning, search on for terrorists in Poonch

‘Repeat of Pulwama’: Opposition on terror attack

Jammu: Several people were detained for questioning on Sunday as a massive search operation for terrorists behind the Indian Air Force (IAF) convoy attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district entered the second day, officials said.
Additional Director General of Police, Jammu, Anand Jain and senior officers of the Army and intelligence agencies visited the ambush spot in the Surankote area. The Army also conducted aerial surveillance using a helicopter, they said.
Five IAF personnel were injured in the attack on Saturday evening near Shahsitar and one of them later succumbed to injuries at a military hospital.
The officials said a well-coordinated joint operation by the Army and the police was underway in many areas, including Shahsitar, Gursai, Sanai and Sheendara Top, to neutralise the terrorists.
The attackers are believed to have fled to a forest after the attack, they said.
Besides AK assault rifles, the terrorists also used a US-made M4 carbine and steel bullets to cause maximum casualties, the officials added.
The IAF has identified the fallen hero as Corporal Vikky Pahade and expressed condolences to his family.
"The CAS (Chief of Air Staff) Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari & all personnel of Indian Air Force salute the braveheart Corporal Vikky Pahade, who made the supreme sacrifice in Poonch sector, in the service of the nation. Our deepest condolences to the bereaved family. We stand firmly by your side in this hour of grief," it posted on 'X'.
The officials said teams of the Army's Para Commandos were also pressed into service in the search operation.
There has been no "contact" with the terrorists yet, they said, adding that several people were detained for questioning in connection with the attack, the first major incident in Jammu region this year.
The officials said checking of vehicles has been intensified across the district which is going to polls in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha election on May 25. Poonch is part of the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency.
The border district of Poonch, along with adjoining Rajouri, has witnessed major terrorist attacks over the past two years. The region was peaceful between 2003 and 2021.
Meanwhile, opposition leaders have condemned the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch, that claimed the lives of four soldiers, and slammed the central government for its handling of security issues.
Shiv Sena (UBT)'s firebrand MP Sanjay Raut, known for his vocal criticism of the government, drew parallels between the ambush in Poonch and the 2019 Pulwama attack, in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed.
"Yesterday's terrorist attack in Poonch is a repeat of the Pulwama attack. The government is sleeping. Do you (BJP) again want to do politics on the sacrifice by our jawans? Do you want to seek votes again on the Pulwama issue in 2024? If we ask questions about the Poonch incident, then they will throw us out of Delhi or the country," said Raut.
National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah pointed to the continued prevalence of terrorism despite the abrogation of Article 370, which was touted by the Centre as a solution to curb terror activities in the Valley.
"They used to say that Article 370 is responsible for terrorism. Even today there is terrorism. Officers like Colonel and Captain are dying in Kashmir. Every day a bomb explodes somewhere... Is terrorism over? Terrorism has not stopped, but the BJP is just trumpeting that terrorism has ended," Farooq Abdullah said.
Former chief ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mehbooba Mufti have also condemned the attack.