Days before the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, intelligence agencies had flagged the potential targeting of tourists especially those staying in hotels on the outskirts of Srinagar in the foothills of the Zabarwan range, officials in the know said Saturday.
This prompted a heightened security presence in these areas with top police brass camping in Srinagar to oversee combing operations around Dachigam, Nishat, and adjacent areas.
According to PTI report, These areas gained attention and security forces increased patrolling because of a terrorist attack on a construction site in Gangangir, Sonamarg in October last year in which seven people including a doctor were killed. The area is located on the other side of Zabarwan range overlooking the Srinagar city.
Despite a two-week operation, security forces conducted extensive searches on the outskirts of Srinagar based on the intelligence, but these efforts did not yield any breakthroughs and the operation was called off on April 22, the day when terrorists targeted tourists in Pahalgam area killing 26 of them.
