Indian Forces Crack Down on Terror: Major Hideout Busted in Poonch

Indian Army and police teams uncovered a terror hideout in Poonch, recovering explosives. Search operations were intensified across Jammu and Kashmir after recent terrorist attacks, which claimed multiple lives. Authorities are taking additional security measures while dismantling a recruitment module from a new terrorist organization linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba.

In a significant operation, Indian Army's Romeo Force, in collaboration with the Special Operations Group (SOG) police, successfully dismantled a terror hideout in the Balnoi sector of Poonch, officials confirmed.

The operation, carried out on Saturday, resulted in the seizure of two grenades and three Pakistani-origin mines.

Amid heightened tensions, extensive search efforts were conducted in Tangmarg and various locations throughout Jammu and Kashmir. This initiative aims to locate individuals responsible for recent terrorist activities in Gulmarg, Baramulla, where an attack on October 24 led to fatalities involving two Army soldiers and two civilian porters.

Furthermore, an earlier October 20 attack on a tunnel construction site on the Srinagar-Leh national highway claimed the lives of a doctor and six laborers. Such incidents have raised significant security concerns, notably due to the indiscriminate firing at laborers, which marks a deliberate and targeted campaign.

Reacting to these threats, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha instructed the police to enhance security protocols at critical infrastructure sites and construction zones within the Union Territory. This involves conducting security audits, maintaining round-the-clock checkpoints at strategic locations, and intensifying night patrols.

A separate major operation by the Counter-Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) in six districts, including Srinagar and Ganderbal, successfully disrupted a recruitment network for 'Tehreek Labaik Ya Muslim' (TLM), a newly-formed terrorist entity linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, under the direction of a Pakistani terrorist known as Baba Hamas, officials reported.

(With inputs from agencies.)