In the rugged and frozen mountains of Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar, terrorists of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) relished Maggi and rice in their Kargil-style fortified bunker, perched at a height of 12,000 feet, that shielded them for months until security forces busted it on Monday.
The recovered stash from the busted hideout reveals the terrorists' winter survival plan: 50 Maggi packets, fresh vegetables like tomatoes and potatoes, 15 types of spices, 20 kg of fine-quality basmati rice, grains, cooking gas, and dry wood, enough to sustain them for months.
This Kargil-style bunker is believed to be used by Jaish commander of Pakistani origin, Saifullah, and his deputy, Adil.
It was a fortress with stone-lined walls, designed to withstand encounters.
When on Sunday afternoon troops closed in, the Jaish terrorists threw grenades, injuring seven soldiers, before escaping. Later, one of the soldiers, Havildar Gajendra Singh, died of his injuries.
The hideout's discovery has exposed a local support network. Security agencies believe that without local support it was not easy to construct such a fortified bunker with several entry points and then dump large quantities of rations and other eatables to survive winter months.
Security agencies have swung into action to bust the overground network supporting these terrorists operating at such heights. In this connection, four locals have been detained for questioning.
Search Ops Enter Day 3
The security forces have launched 'Operation Trashi-I' to flush out terrorists in Kishtwar. The massive hunt entered the third day on Tuesday.
It followed a major counter-terrorist operation launched in the forest belts of the Jammu region in December last year to eliminate nearly three dozen holed-up terrorists.
Operations have been further intensified in the run-up to Republic Day to ensure peaceful celebrations, amid intelligence inputs about desperate attempts by Pakistan-based handlers to push more terrorists into the region.
