Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir recovered five improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from a terror hideout in the Poonch district, sources said on Monday. The recovery comes amid a massive manhunt for the terrorists who gunned down 26 people in Pahalgam.
In a joint search operation, the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police uncovered the hideout in the forested area of Surankote in Poonch. The recovered IEDs included three found concealed in tiffin boxes and two in steel buckets, according to sources.
Security forces also seized communication devices and other incriminating materials from the site.
Authorities have launched large-scale counter-terror operations throughout the Valley, raiding suspected hideouts, demolishing shelters used by terrorists, and detaining hundreds of terror associates for questioning, senior officials said.
The operation in Poonch is among several being carried out across Jammu and Kashmir as security forces target known aides and backers of terrorists. Officials said it is part of a broader push to dismantle the ecosystem that enables terrorism and to send a clear deterrent message in the wake of the Pahalgam attack.
On April 22, terrorists opened fire at Baisaran, a popular tourist destination near Pahalgam in Anantnag district, killing 26 people — most of them tourists from other states. The attack has heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, with New Delhi blaming cross-border elements for the violence.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly condemned the attack, vowing retribution. "The killers will be pursued to the ends of the earth," he said in a statement following the attack.
Security forces have stepped up intelligence gathering and ground operations, with a focus on preempting any repeat of the Pahalgam-style massacre.
