Convoy Attack: Poonch's Dense Forests, Topography A Challenge For Forces

Security agencies said that cadre of the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation People's Anti-Fascist Front, operated by Lashkar-e-Taiba, may be behind Saturday's attack.

Even as search operations continue after the ambush on a convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, which led to an Indian Air Force soldier being killed and five others suffering injuries, a worrying aspect for the forces has been how the challenging topography and dense forests in the Poonch-Rajouri region have left personnel exposed on several occasions. 

A senior government functionary told NDTV that the two vehicles which were attacked on Saturday were not bullet-proof. "One belonged to the Air Force and the other to the Army. They were on their way to collect supplies from a facility located atop a small hill. The road leading to the facility is a narrow one and passes through a dense forest and two vehicles cannot travel parallelly," the officials said. 

The dense foliage in the area has been a big hindrance for security forces while conducting operations and they have suffered heavy casualties in the region in the past two years.