Army chief visits forward areas in J-K's Poonch, corps headquarters

Jammu, Jul 9 (PTI) Chief of Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth on Thursday visited forward areas in Jammu and Kashmir's twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch and reviewed the prevailing security situation, operational preparedness and combat readiness of troops. The visit, his first to the forward areas in Poonch after assuming office, comes amid heightened security measures in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of the ongoing Amarnath Yatra. "General Dhiraj Seth, COAS, visited forward areas along the Line of Control in Poonch, Rajouri and Sunderbani. He reviewed the prevailing security dynamics along the Line of Control and the counter-insurgency grid of the White Knight corps," the ADGPI said on X. The COAS was briefed on the evolving security environment, operational deployments, surveillance architecture, field innovations and integrated operational readiness, it said. He also assessed the ongoing infrastructure development and the formation's sustained efforts to empower the communities of India's first villages through people-centric initiatives. The Army chief also met senior military officials at the Poonch Brigade headquarters, where he was briefed on troops deployment, the prevailing security scenario and operational readiness. The Army chief earlier visited the Nagrota-based White Knight Corps headquarters, where he was briefed by senior commanders on the security situation in the Jammu region and the operational preparedness of formations under the corps, officials said. The top officers apprised the Army chief of the overall security environment and the preparedness of troops to effectively respond to emerging challenges. General Seth has been on a visit to Jammu and Kashmir since Tuesday. During the visit, he called on LG Manoj Sinha and CM Omar Abdullah and reviewed the overall security situation in Kashmir. PTI AB AB MNK MNK