Probe agencies ascertain original source of bullets used in Poonch attack

The bullets that were used by the terrorists to attack an Army vehicle in Poonch, in which five jawans were killed, were left behind by the US troops in Afghanistan following the fall of the US-backed government in August 2021.

On Thursday, five soldiers were killed in a first of its kind ambush on an Army vehicle. The vehicle was moving from Bhimber Gali to Sangiot, around 90 kilometres away from the district headquarters of Poonch.

According to the investigation, a sniper is said to have targeted the truck from the front before two other terrorists sprayed bullets and lobbed grenades. The probe is also trying to ascertain if the steel core bullets used by the terrorists in targeting the Army truck were made in China or in the United States.

Such bullets were left by the US troops in Afghanistan while leaving Kabul. They are said to have fallen into the hands of the Taliban, which in turn could have been diverted to the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

According to additional DGP, Jammu, Mukesh Singh, the use of Chinese made-steep core bullets used in the attack is under investigation.

"The attack was carried out by two to three terrorists who are believed to be Pakistanis. We can't speak about the involvement of locals at this stage," Singh also said.

"Massive search operations are on in Bhatta Durrian forests backed by the intelligence agencies, to track down the terrorists involved in the attack. The operations are being coordinated regularly by top officials," Singh said.

A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is camping in Poonch. The forensics team is also looking into the issue. In all probability the NIA will take over the probe soon. Sources tell OneIndia that while the investigation is underway, a majority of the resources are being used to track down the terrorists who may have escaped into the dense forests.