Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 15: Massive concentration of militants and their guides has been witnessed across Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir but without launching pads or camps as the militants, in the aftermath of September 29 surgical strikes by Indian Army in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), have been seen moving in the groups.
Highly placed sources told the Excelsior that the new trend of militants coming close to the LoC, moving there for recce and then returning to their base camps (located away from the LoC) in PoK, has been witnessed after the surgical strikes as earlier the militants used to stay across LoC in launch pads and small tents erected for them by Pakistan army and militant commanders.
“There has been a major shift in the strategy of militants camping across LoC for infiltration. Though there has been massive concentration of the militants across LoC, their launch-pads and small tented colonies, where they used to take shelter conducting recce before attempting infiltration, have gone. Now, the militants have taken shelter in the tents way behind the LoC.
“The militants were coming close to the LoC from these tents during the night hours, conducting recce of the infiltration routes and then returning to their tents, which have now been located as far as four to five kilometers from the LoC,’’ sources said pointing out that these tents and launching pads earlier used to be located within one to two kilometer radius of the LoC.
Asserting that troops were keeping strict surveillance on the LoC to thwart infiltration attempts by the militants, sources said all kind of activities of the militants are being monitored regularly and steps taken accordingly to check them and ensure that they don’t manage to infiltrate from any area.
Noting that launch pads and tented accommodation of the militants, which used to be located close to the LoC, has been wound up post-September 29 surgical strikes by the Indian Army, sources said this had been done at the behest of Pakistan army officials and commanders of the militant outfits like Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), who feared that the Indian Army could again target the camps and launch pads.
It may be mentioned here that Pakistan army chief Rahil Sharief had visited LoC after the surgical strikes and reportedly issued directions to the commanders posted in PoK to keep militants far away from the LoC to save them from any future surgical strikes by the Indian commandos.
Sources, however, were of the view that the militants after conducting recce were returning to their base camps and not attempting infiltration in twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, which share LoC with Pakistan.
“They (the militants) haven’t attempted any major infiltration attempt along the LoC after the surgical strikes after finding troops on this side on very high alert. However, even if they attempt to sneak-in, they would be killed or apprehended,’’ they said.
At least 50 militants and nine Pakistan army personnel were killed and scores of others were injured while many went missing after Indian Army had conducted surgical strikes on launch pads of the militants at four places across Nowshera, Mendhar, Kupwara and Baramulla on September 29 in the wake of attack on an Army camp at Uri, Baramulla in which 19 Army soldiers were killed.
Several commanders of Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed were killed or injured in the surgical strikes while many others had gone missing, sources said.
They pointed out that after the surgical strikes no major infiltration attempt by the militants from across the LoC has been observed in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch.
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