Srinagar – On Saturday, a terrorist ambush targeting an Indian Air Force (IAF) convoy near Shahsitar in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district left five IAF personnel injured. Tragically, Corporal Vikky Pahade later succumbed to his injuries at the Command Hospital in Udhampur.
Security forces immediately launched an intensive cordon and search operation in the border areas of Rajouri and Poonch districts to neutralize the terrorists responsible for the attack. Investigations point to the involvement of Lashkar-e-Taiba's (LeT) Habibullah Malik (also known as Sajid Jutt) who is believed to have orchestrated the deadly attack.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a supplementary charge sheet against Jutt earlier this year, outlining his role in conspiring to carry out terrorist attacks within Jammu and Kashmir, specifically in the Rajouri and Poonch districts. A resident of Pakistan's Punjab province, Malik is notorious for radicalizing and recruiting Kashmiri youths into militancy. His network was allegedly behind an attack on Indian soldiers in Bhata Dhurian (Poonch district). Malik has a history of planning multiple attacks in the Valley, including a 2013 fidayeen attack against the army in Hyderpora and the killing of an SHO in Budgamm the same year.
The terrorists strategically ambushed the final vehicle in a three-vehicle IAF convoy traveling from Jaranwalli Gali to Shahistar Top. Sources reveal the use of both AK assault rifles and a US-made M4 carbine in the attack, indicating a calculated attempt to inflict maximum damage.
Army Para Commandos are actively involved in search operations, but no direct engagement with the terrorists has occurred. Authorities have detained several suspects for questioning related to this year's first major incident in the Jammu region.
Since 2021, terrorists have conducted a series of ambushes against security forces in the Rajouri and Poonch region (also known as the Pir Panjal range). Experts suggest a strategic shift in terrorist focus from the Kashmir Valley to the densely forested and mountainous Pir Panjal region, offering them tactical advantages.
Of the 134 militancy-related killings in 2023, roughly 40% percent occurred in the Pir Panjal region, a staggering statistic highlighting the heightened risk to security forces.
