Mobile internet suspended in Poonch, Rajouri districts of J&K

Mobile internet services were suspended in two districts of Poonch and Rajouri of Jammu & Kashmir on Saturday as security forces continued a massive operation in the twin districts.

The services were suspended in Poonch and Rajouri after the mysterious death of three persons in the Bafliaz area, where terrorists had reportedly targeted two army vehicles on Thursday, 21 December.

Five soldiers were killed and two injured in Thursday’s terror attack on an army Gypsy and a truck in Dera Ki Gali of the Bafliaz area. The terrorists reportedly decamped with the service weapons of the slain soldiers.

Security forces launched a massive search operation in the densely forested areas of Poonch and Rajouri districts where a group of 30 reported terrorists is hiding.

Three locals, identified as Mohd Showkat (27), Shabir Ahmad (32) and Safeer Hussain (43), of Topa Peer village in the Bafliaz area were found dead under mysterious circumstances on Friday.

Senior police and army officers are monitoring the situation as additional deployments have been rushed to the affected areas. Authorities said mobile internet has been suspended as a precautionary measure to check the spread of rumours by anti-social elements.

Locals claimed the three deceased individuals had been picked up by the army, though there is no official confirmation about their cause of death.

Meanwhile, despite extensive combing operations going on in both Poonch and Rajouri districts, the security forces have so far not succeeded in locating the terrorists.