Defence Minister Rajnath vows to find out & take action against those who attacked vessel MV Chem Pluto in Arabian Sea::::: Likely to visit Rajouri-Poonch sector as well

(A joint 'Security Review Meet' was held at Awantipur, Pulwama today to review & discuss the prevailing security situation in South Kashmir.

GOC, Victor Force along with V K Birdi, IGP Kashmir Zone, co-chaired the meeting which was attended by senior officials of Army & Jammu and Kashmir police)

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh vowed to find out and take action against those who attacked the merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto in the Arabian Sea when it was on its way to New Mangalore port.

Will find merchant ship attackers even from the depth of seas: Defence Minister

“The government has taken the attacks at sea very seriously and has increased surveillance. We will find those who carried out this attack even from under the sea and take strict action against them,” the defence minister said.

Some nations are miffed with the development of India, he said. 

MV Chem Pluto, a cargo vessel carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia, was targeted in a drone attack allegedly by 'Houthi militants' off India's west coast in the Arabian Sea when it was on its way to New Mangalore port.

The chemical tanker, under Liberian flag, owned by Japan, and operated by the Netherlands, was struck by the drone on December 23, about 200 nautical miles off the Indian coast. It was carrying crude oil from Al Jubail port in Saudi Arabia to New Mangalore port.

According to the Indian Navy, 20 Indian and Vietnamese crew were onboard the merchant ship. No one was injured in the attack.

The cargo ship reached Mumbai port on Monday under the protection of the Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Vikram.

Army chief directs soldiers to dismantle cave used as hideout by terrorists in J&K 

Army is likely to enhance manpower deployment or bring in more troops into Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch-Rajouri sector to address terrorist activities.

Plans are afoot to strengthen the counter-terrorist grid in the area by increasing troop strength. 

The mobile internet services in Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu and Kashmir remained shut on Tuesday as security forces continued their search to intercept the terrorists that killed four Indian Army soldiers in the Poonch district. 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit the Rajouri-Poonch sector on Wednesday and interact with on-duty soldiers in the international border area and meet with civilians, who are still grappling with the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the region.

Notably, terrorists are understood to be using China-made weapons, bodysuit cameras and communication devices in their attacks on the Army in Jammu and Kashmir.

Needless to add, China supplies weapons and drones to the Pakistan army.

The Defence Minister will also chair a security review meeting at the White Knight Corps Headquarters in Jammu. He is also expected to hold talks with Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha.

In fact, mobile internet services remained shut for the fourth day in a row.

As aerial surveillance and combing operations in Rajouri-Poonch, especially in the forest belt of Dera Ki Gali and Bafliyaz, entered Day 7 on Tuesday, 

Army chief General Manoj Pande, who visited Poonch on Monday, Dec 25th, instructed local commanders to go offensive on terrorists hiding in the Valley and directed dismantling their natural cave hideouts. 

In a major decision a Brigadier-level officer was taken off duty and moved out of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch as the Army launched an internal inquiry into the three civilian deaths reported in Poonch.

The terrorist attack on army vehicles in Poonch had killed four soldiers.

Army chief General Manoj Pande chaired an important security review meeting at White Knight Corps Headquarters in Jammu's Nagrota on Dec 25th, Monday.

He also visited the disturbed areas. A Brigadier-level officer was taken off duty.

He has been moved out of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch as the Army launched an internal inquiry into the three civilian deaths.

The People's Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), reportedly linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, has claimed responsibility for the attack on jawans last week.

The terrorists shared pictures from the attack site on social media, which showed sophisticated US-made M4 carbine assault rifles.

The Pakistani army regularly receives supplies of weapons, cameras, and communication devices from China, but instead of using them, it makes them available to terrorist organisations in POK for infiltrations and terrorist attacks in India. 

Apparently 'frustrated' by India's heightened troop presence in Ladakh following the 2020 border stand-off in Galwan, China now wants to revive terrorist activity in Jammu and Kashmir to divert and pressure the Indian Army into redeploying troops from the Ladakh border back to Kashmir.

Sources also informed that with China's help, Pakistan is strengthening its cyber wing and wants to monitor covertly through Voice Over Internet Protocol. China is also funding the establishment of a separate information security lab for Pakistan for cyber warfare.

Of course the Indian security system has thwarted 'attempts' over the past two years, giving a befitting reply to Pakistan and China on both the Jammu and Ladakh fronts.

In the latest terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, five soldiers were killed and two injured after heavily armed terrorists ambushed two Army vehicles in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Thursday.