Excelsior Correspondent
DODA, Dec 30: In yet another move to strengthen the counter-terrorist arrangement in Doda district, the Army has started training Village Defence Guards (VDGs) in Guerrilla warfare.
About 150 VDG members of far off 14 villages bordering Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh are undergoing intensive training in the operation of automatic rifles, squad post drills and minor tactics of guerrilla warfare.
The VDG members are being trained by the Rashtriya Rifles unit based at Jangalwar and SOG of J&K Police at Shingani Panchayat area of Gandoh Sub Division.
The initiative aims to equip these civilians with skills necessary to protect their villages from terrorist threats, thereby bolstering the region’s overall security framework.
VDG members expressed gratitude to the Home Minister for equipping them with SLRs as until now they were having only self loading 303 Rifles.
The VDG members, who monitor terrorist activity in their villages which are mostly inaccessible and not connected with motorable roads, expressed confidence in their enhanced readiness to combat terrorists more effectively after receiving Army training and upgraded weapons.
Surinder Singh, 35, a local VDG member from Shingani village bordering Chamba district of HP said, “We are thankful to the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah for providing us with the latest SLR rifles.”
Another VDG member, Rajesh Kumar Thakur, 47, said there are continuous challenges in their area which is surrounded by dense forest and snow peaked mountains.
“We can fight very well with terrorists along with security forces. We keep monitoring the suspected movements and we are always ready to face the enemy,” he maintained.
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