M16 ammo, parallels with earlier terror attacks: Security forces piece together what happened in Reasi

According to sources, bullet shells recovered from the spot suggest an M16 was used. Given how they planned and executed the attack, lying in wait for the bus, the militants appear to be well-trained and familiar with the area, sources said.

Their modus operandi of attacking the bus is similar to the one used by militants in targeting vehicles carrying security forces on the Dehra Ki Gali-Bufliaz road as well as near Shahsitar – both in the border Poonch district – in the last six months, said a police officer, referring to inputs received from victims and locals.

Army personnel conduct a search operation in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. (PTI)

Like in the previous attacks, militants targeted the bus when its driver slowed down while descending a slope. Further, the attack was carried out in the evening, when there were fewer vehicles on the road, and the approaching bus could be seen from a distance.

According to locals, the attack took place between Kanda and Chandi Morh, from where one road goes to Ransoo near Shiv Khouri in Reasi district and another to Taryath (Kalakote) in Rajouri district. The nearest police establishments – a police station at Pouni and a police post at Ransoo – are nearly 20 kilometres and 12 kilometres away, they pointed out.

According to an injured person who was occupying the seat near the driver, a militant wearing a mask was standing on the roadside in a ready-to-fire position, while others appeared to have taken position on the hill. As the bus approached them, they opened fire, hitting the driver.

Knowing well that police or security forces will take time to reach there from Ransoo and Pouni, militants continued firing on the bus for nearly five minutes even after it had fallen in the gorge, locals said.

The first time security forces had seized a US-made M16 from militants was in June 2020, when three militants were killed while crossing the Line of Control through Arsal nullah in Rajouri’s Nowshera sector. In August 2022, a Chinese-made M16 rifle was seized from militants during an operation by security forces near the Line of Control in Kashmir’s Uri sector. Security forces had then described the seizure as “unusual”.

Meanwhile, a massive search operation has been launched in the forests falling in Reasi’s Pouni and adjoining Rajouri’s Kalakote area in search of the militants. Security agencies suspect they are taking advantage of dense forests in adjoining Kalakote and Pouni tehsils, and have frequently been shifting their location.

Search parties are using drones to track down the militants, sources said, adding that officials of the National Investigation Agency and other central intelligence agencies have also reached Reasi.