The Indian Army has recovered two bags containing suspected narcotics and a Chinese-made pistol during an area domination operation near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district, officials confirmed on Thursday.
The recoveries were made by troops of the Hamirpur Battalion in the forward area of Balakote in the Mendhar subdivision.
During the search operation, security forces detected a bag and seized a Chinese-made pistol along with two yellow polythene-wrapped packets suspected to contain narcotic substances. The recovered material has been taken into custody for further evaluation and investigation.
Officials said security agencies are probing the source and intended destination of the seized items. With terrorism-related violence having significantly decreased in the region, security forces are now actively targeting support and logistics networks, as well as the human and financial resources aiding militancy.
Since 2021, the Jammu division has witnessed an increase in the presence of foreign terrorists linked with Pakistan-based outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, according to security agencies.
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