Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Rajouri district in the Jammu and Kashmir union territory, where militants killed five soldiers of the Indian Army’s elite Para (Special Forces) division on Friday.
The visit comes as a gun battle between militants and the Indian Army rages in the Kandi Forest of the Rajouri district, which borders the Line of Control (LOC) that divides Indian and Pakistani administered Kashmir.
“I pay homage to these brave soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in service to the nation. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief,” Rajnath Singh wrote on his Twitter page.
The minister visited an Army base in the Rajouri district and met with senior commanders of the Armed Forces to assess the security situation along the LOC.
“Visited the Army Base Camp in Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir today. Reviewed the operational capabilities and security situation along the border. Also, interacted with the brave soldiers of the Indian Army. India salutes their devotion towards protecting our motherland,” the minister wrote further.
Meanwhile, a defence spokesperson based in Jammu said a Trinetra anti-militant operation had resumed on Saturday night as militants attempted to break through a security cordon.
In the morning, exchanges of fire between Indian forces and militants resumed. Later, it was reported that a militant was killed and another wounded as a result. The identity of the slain militant is yet to be ascertained, while the operation continues.
Lt General Upendra Dwivedi, Army commander of the Northern Command, also arrived in the region to review the situation of the ongoing operation.
Meanwhile, the local authorities, keeping an eye on the social media activity of militant groups, have taken notice of claims made by the People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), believed to be an offshoot of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM)* militant group, of taking responsibility for the attack.
J&K has been witnessing an anti-India insurgency since 1989. While the insurgency in the Kashmir part has continued over the past three decades, the level of militant violence in Jammu has decreased sharply in the last decade.
Indian officials have said that violence was exacerbated by Pakistan-based militant groups over the past 1.5 years and they are responsible for the killing of over two dozen Indian soldiers.
Two weeks ago, five Indian Army troopers were killed when their vehicle carrying them was caught in a violent ambush laid by militants.
* a terror outfit banned in several countries