Union home minister Amit Shah is likely to visit Jammu and Kashmir on January 9 to review the security situation in the region, weeks after four soldiers were killed by terrorists in an ambush in Poonch district, people aware of the matter said on Saturday.

Though there was no official confirmation on Shah’s visit to the Union territory, officials in the home department said it would depend on weather conditions.

“During his visit, the home minister will visit the forward areas and take stock of the anti-terror operations,” one of the people said, requesting anonymity. “He is also likely to chair a security review meeting in Jammu.”

National security advisor Ajit Doval, Intelligence Bureau chief Tapan Deka and army chief General Manoj Pande are also likely to accompany the home minister.

“Subject to fair weather conditions, Shah is likely to be accompanied by home secretary AK Bhalla, top security officials from various paramilitary forces and senior officials of various intelligence agencies,” an official from the home department of J&K said, declining to be named. “If the weather remained stable and visibility not hampered, the home minister may also visit Rajouri and Poonch districts to assess the security scenario in the region.”

Shah is also likely to join an ongoing “Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra” programme during his J&K visit, besides reviewing the Bharatiya Janata Party’s preparedness for the Lok Sabha elections, the people added.

On December 21, four soldiers were killed by terrorists in an ambush in Surankote in Poonch district. A day after the terror attack, three civilians were found dead after they were allegedly picked up by the army for questioning.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh and army chief Pande had also visited Poonch in the wake of these incidents. On December 27, the defence minister also met the civilians, who were allegedly tortured in the army camp a day after the Surankote ambush, at Rajouri hospital. The J&K administration had also announced compensation and jobs to the families of the dead civilians and said legal action has been initiated in the incident.

On January 2, Shah had reviewed the security situation in J&K during a high-level meeting in Delhi.

The twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch have witnessed a spike in terror attacks in the past couple of years.