Army chief visits forward areas along LoC, reviews situation

Naravane arrived in Jammu on a two-day visit on Monday amid a spurt in targeted attacks on civilians by terrorists in the Valley and an ongoing counter-insurgency operation in the forest belt of the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, where nine soldiers have laid down their lives over the past week.

“General MM Naravane #COAS (Chief of Army Staff) visited forward areas of #WhiteKnight Corps & undertook a first-hand assessment of the situation along the Line of Control. #COAS was briefed by commanders on the ground about the present situation & ongoing counter-infiltration operations,” the Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI) of the Indian Army tweeted.

The officials said the Army chief visited the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, where a massive operation to track down terrorists hiding in the forest areas of Mendhar, Surankote and Thanamandi has been going on since October 11. While five Army personnel were killed in an attack by terrorists in the forest area of Surankote on October 11, another four soldiers laid down their lives in a gunfight with the ultras in Mendhar last Thursday.