Kathua Ambush Update: Indian Army Suspects Three Jammu-Kashmir Locals Helped Terrorists, One Woman Provided Them Food

As search operations after an ambush on the Indian Army patrol in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district entered its fourth day on Thursday (11 July), officials said that three individuals were found suspicious.

After the ambush killed five Army soldiers, 60 people have been detained for interrogation. Of them, three locals are suspected to have provided food and shelter to the terrorists.

Among them is a woman who is said to have cooked food for around 10 to 15 people and handed it to a person. The security agencies believe that the terrorists might have got this food.

Meanwhile, more Army personnel were deployed in the hills and dense forests of the Kathua-Udhampur-Doda belt, an area that has witnessed a spike in terror attacks recently.

The security personnel are also cautious of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that might have been planted by the terrorists. Surveillance data from unmanned ariel vehicles is helping them.

As per The Hindu, joint strategy of Jammu-Kashmir and Punjab was also discussed in the interstate security review meeting over cross-border infiltration from Pakistan.

Senior police and Border Security Force (BSF) officers from Jammu-Kashmir and Punjab met in Kathua and discussed the security grid along the International Border (IB).

The hilly areas are being cordoned off so that the terrorists cannot escape. The deployment of special forces and sniffer dog units of the Army is aiding in the search operations.

Delta Force of the 16 Corps has brought in more personnel in the Udhampur and Doda districts, while the presence of the Army's 9 Corps has also been intensified.