JNM | Journalist Hardeep Jamwal | Jammu
The search for terrorists in the Dori Mal forest area of the Manjakote sector in Rajouri district continues to pose a major challenge for security forces. The anti-terror operation—being conducted jointly by the Army, the Jammu and Kashmir Police, and the CRPF—has entered its 12th consecutive day; however, no concrete leads regarding the terrorists’ whereabouts have been found so far.
According to reports, security forces and the terrorists have engaged in direct confrontations on five separate occasions during the course of the operation. However, each time, the terrorists managed to exploit the dense forest cover and the rugged, inaccessible mountainous terrain to successfully break through the security cordon. Consequently, the operation has continued to drag on.
Under the codename ‘Operation Sheruwali,’ the Army’s elite Para Commando unit, along with personnel from the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the CRPF, are conducting continuous search operations across various sections of the forest. State-of-the-art drones, surveillance equipment, and helicopters are also being deployed to monitor the terrorists’ movements. Additionally, teams of sniffer dogs have been inducted into the operation.
During the search operations, security forces have discovered several suspected hideouts within the forest. Food supplies and other provisions have been recovered from these locations. Bloodstains have also been found at certain spots, raising the suspicion that one or more terrorists may have sustained injuries during the encounters.
Security agencies believe that the terrorists may still be hiding somewhere within the forest, or they may be attempting to escape toward neighboring regions. In light of this possibility, a multi-layered cordon has been established across the entire area. Surveillance has been intensified, with additional troops deployed along all potential escape routes.
Security officials have stated that the operation will continue until the entire region is declared completely secure. Security forces are meticulously combing every potential hiding spot in an effort to successfully apprehend or neutralize the terrorists.
The ongoing operation in Rajouri’s Dori Mal forest has emerged as one of the longest-running anti-terror operations witnessed in the region in recent times. The eyes of the locals are now also fixed on the outcome of this operation, while security agencies are expressing hope for a speedy success.
