Akhnoor Encounter: The Indian Army on Tuesday said that it used unmanned vehicled and artificial intelligence (AI) during the encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Akhnoor. Three terrorists have been killed during the operation.
"We have used unmanned vehicle, artificial intelligence that gave us a quick and successful result... We lost one Army Dog - he was ahead when we were doing search operations, and militants fired upon the Dog. It's due to his sacrifice, many of the lives could be saved," Major General Sameer Shrivastava GoC 10 Infantry Division told news agnecy ANI.
Indian Army's four-year-old dog Phantom was also killed in the firing during the counter-terror operation. It had sustained fatal bullet injuries while trying to protect the troops from the terrorists' assault.
"After this operation, such information was spreading that the Army had used BMP - we had used that kind of vehicle because the area was tough - with a gradient of 30 degrees and dense forest - we used those vehicles after locating militants to reach there," Major General Shrivastava added.
DIG, Jammu-Samba-Kathua range, Shiv Kumar Sharma who was present at the press conference along with Major General Shrivastava stated that they have been holding meetings to ensure coordination between the Army and police. The forces also had a one-off with Jammu and Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha.
"Recently, we have many meetings - including one with (Jammu and Kashmir) LG Manoj Sinha... The aim is that the coordination between the Army and the Police continue to be there - so that we can quickly neutralise if we track any terrorist presence anywhere. For that, our synergy is increasing day-to-day. This operation is one such example," DIG Sharma said.
3 Terrorists Eliminated In Akhnoor Encounter
Jammu Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Joginder Singh on Tuesday provided details about the anti-terror operation in Akhnoor. He said the security forces eliminated three militants after they had ambushed an Army ambulance in the Akhnoor sector in Jammu district on Monday.
"Three terrorists have been neutralised, and a search operation is underway. As soon as we received information that terrorists were at the said location, they opened fire at the Army ambulance. It was then certain that there were terrorists here. The entire area was cordoned off. Army, police, SOG, and paramilitary forces all participated in this operation," Singh said.
The anti-terror operation was part of Indian security forces' counter-offensive Operation Asan, launched after terrorists attacked an Army convoy in the Battal area.
According to security forces, the terrorists fired on an Army ambulance, following which the troops retaliated immediately. The area was swiftly cordoned off, and a coordinated search operation was initiated by Jammu an Kashmir police and Indian security forces.
The operation was led by the Indian Army's White Knight Corps, which engaged the terrorists after round-the-clock surveillance.
In an official statement, the White Knight Corps said: "After surveillance throughout the night, an intense firefight unfolded this morning, resulting in a significant victory for our forces." They also highlighted that "relentless operations and tactical excellence have led to the elimination of three terrorists."
During the encounter, war- like stores from the site were recovered, which, according to Army officials, will be essential for securing the area.