Choppers, drones used in hunt for Gulmarg terrorists

Security forces on Friday pressed drones and helicopters into service as a massive search operation was launched along the Line of Control in Gulmarg sector of Jammu and Kashmir where a terror attack left four people, including two soldiers, dead, officials said.

The combing and search operation was launched along the LoC and the area near the attack site in the morning.

The area of the search operation was widened later towards the hinterland as well, the officials said.

The officials said helicopters and drones were pressed into the service to help the forces, who are also using human and technical intelligence inputs to aid the search operation which has been launched to trace and neutralise the terrorists behind the attack.

Senior officers of the police and Army are overseeing the operation.

Security forces have sealed the routes around the site of the attack.

Authorities had also temporarily shut the Gondola ropeway service at the resort town of Gulmarg as a precautionary measure in the morning.

The service was resumed later after security assessments and measures were completed.

However, the tourist movement towards the Gulmarg ski-resort was going on smoothly, they said.

Two soldiers and two Army porters were killed in the attack on Thursday while another porter and a soldier were injured.

Terrorists attacked a vehicle of the force six km from the tourist hotspot Gulmarg in north Kashmir's Baramulla district.

The terrorists opened fire on the Army vehicle in the Bota Pathri area when it was headed for the Nagin post in Affarwat range.

The area is completely dominated by the Army.

There were reports recently that a terrorist group had infiltrated during early summer and taken shelter in the higher reaches of the Afrawat range, they said.

The Bota Pathri area was recently opened to tourists.

The prestigious High Altitude Warfare School, where army personnel are equipped with special training before their deployment in Siachen Glacier, is just a few km from the site of the attack.