The country’s top security brass, including defence minister Rajnath Singh and army chief Manoj Pande, visited Rajouri a day after five soldiers were killed during an anti-terrorist operation to take stock of the security situation in a region that has emerged as the new theatre of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.

Early on Saturday, the security forces said they had gunned down one militant and possibly injured another who had triggered Friday’s explosion that killed the five soldiers, including four elite special forces commandos. A major-rank special forces officer was injured and remains critical.

The killings had followed the death of five more soldiers in an ambush in Poonch on April 20.

Militant attacks have claimed the lives of 35 people, including 26 soldiers and nine civilians, in eight attacks in Rajouri and Poonch districts (also called Pir Panchal) since October 2021.

The attacks have continued despite home minister Amit Shah’s vow in January to create a “very secure security grid” within three months after Dhangri attack that killed seven Hindu civilians and injured several others.

Rajnath, Pande and lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha interacted with soldiers in Rajouri. Rajnath vowed that the sacrifices of soldiers would never be forgotten.

“Visited the Army Base Camp in Rajouri, J&K today. Reviewed the operational capabilities and security situation along the border. Also, interacted with the brave soldiers of the Indian Army. India salutes their devotion towards protecting our motherland,” Rajnath later tweeted.

Officials said the army chief reached Jammu from Delhi ahead of the defence minister, who followed him minutes later.

Northern Army commander Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Corps commander White Knight Corps, and Divisional Commissioner, Jammu also accompanied the minister to Rajouri.

The defence minister chaired a security meeting and was apprised of how the dangerous topography was helping militants carry out their nefarious designs.

The region had seen almost no militancy for nearly two decades before the August 2019 scrapping of the special status.

The militant resurgence in the region, along with other districts of Jammu, is seen as a deliberate Pakistani attempt to gain the sympathy of people angered by the momentous changes introduced by the Centre post-2019.

The security forces have picked up more than 200 locals for questioning in the wake of these attacks, which has angered their families who claim they have no role in these attacks.