Gurdaspur attack: High alert along Jammu-Kathua highway, security stepped up

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“Though we have been maintaining dominance on the tracks 24×7, we immediately pressed our dog squad and personnel to re-check it immediately after reports about terror attack in neighbouring Gurdaspur district of Punjab came in the morning,” said Suram.

As reports about the terror attack came in, security checks along the highway and the international border were further intensified with police and CRPF checking the vehicles coming from Punjab side.

“Additional reinforcements have been deployed for checking the vehicles coming from neighbouring state,’’ said a police officer.

In light of the methodology used in the Gurdaspur terror attack being similar to the ones having taken place along the national highway in Kathua and Samba districts since last year, sources said that the terrorists’ initial plan appear to be some soft target in Jammu region. However, due to the tight security measures adopted after similar terror attacks in the past, besides the coming Independence Day celebrations, the terrorists appear to have proceeded towards neighbouring Punjab.

In an apparent reference to terrorists likely being from Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit, former Jammu Kashmir Chief Ministerr Omar Abdullah tweeted that “the timing of the attack, methodology and location are all entirely similar to attacks in the border belt of Jammu”.

“Will be very interested to see what emerges about the identity of terrorists involved in Gurdaspur attack this morning,” he said.

Terrorists had recently attacked an army camp at Samba and a police station in Rajbagh killing five including two CRPF men, two civilians and a police constable before being gunned down later in March this year. During the attack on Samba army camp, troops in a surgical operation had killed the two terrorists without suffering any loss on its side.

In areas along the international border, multi-tier security involving BSF, CRPF and police have been put in place at every kilometer, a police officer said.