Chandigarh [India], April 25 (ANI): Retired Brigadier Inderjit Singh Chugh on Friday applauded the Indian artillery for its response to firing from across the Line of Control (LoC) initiated by the Pakistan Army and said that the Indian artillery gave them a 'befitting reply'.

He further stated that the Indian Air Force had also become active, and the fighter jets had been dominating the area.

Speaking to ANI, Chugh said, 'Indian artillery gave them a befitting reply. We retaliated wherever the firing originated... Our Air Force has also become active in this. Our fighter jets have been dominating that area since yesterday... Pakistan wants to show that they too are fully prepared to retaliate if India takes any action against them or tries to enter their area.'

Speaking on the demolition of two houses of alleged militants in Pulwama and Anantnag, Chugh said that the militants worked for The Resistance Front (TRF) working on the guidance of Lashkar-e-Taliba, further stating that it was highly suspected that the militants were involved in the Pahalgam attack.

'These militants were working for the Resistance Front (TRF) in J&K, which works as per the guidance of Lashkar-e-Taiba. It is suspected that both of them were involved in the Pahalgam attack and killed our tourists... When the J&K Police went to their homes, they found explosive devices planted in one of the houses... When the police went to the other house, they witnessed firing and grenades being thrown at the militants' house. This confirmed that the people of TRF had already prepared (for the search operation by J&K Police)...' Chugh said.

He further stated that, as per the latest trends, terrorists kept Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) in their homes or under dead bodies, which would explode automatically.

'The latest trend is that terrorists keep Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) in their homes, or even under dead bodies, so that when the Police go to check the body, the devices explode automatically...' he further added.

The attack, which targeted tourists in the Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam, claimed the lives of 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen, leaving several others injured.

It is considered one of the deadliest terror attacks in the region since the 2019 Pulwama bombing, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed, and among the most severe since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. (ANI)