3 terror launch pads destroyed
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 27: Asserting that Operation Sindoor is on as Pakistan cannot be trusted, Inspector General of BSF, Jammu Frontier, Shashank Anand today said the border force has not let its guard down along the International Border.
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The IG expressed apprehension of infiltration attempts along the borderline and said the Border Security Force (BSF) remains on high alert.
“We cannot let our guard down. We are maintaining the highest possible vigil along the border,” Anand told a press conference on Operation Sindoor here.
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He was replying to a question about the possibility of infiltration of terrorists along the IB under the cover of Pakistani shelling and the security measures taken post Operation Sindoor.
He said a high degree of operational preparedness has been maintained along the border.
“There were inputs that the enemy may plan to conduct some kind of mischief, cross-border firing, or stage infiltration. We are ready and vigilant,” he said.
The IG said Pakistan cannot be trusted. “We believe that it cannot be trusted. Operation Sindoor is on. BSF is ready and vigilant along the IB. We are putting up robust surveillance systems to maintain high vigilance along the border.”
Anand also said that BSF women personnel, including Assistant Commandant Neha Bhandari, had shown exemplary courage by manning forward posts.
“We are proposing to name one post in Samba sector after Operation Sindoor and two others after martyrs,” he said.
Noting that the BSF had foiled infiltration bids in the past, the officials said they had thwarted an infiltration attempt by 40 to 50 suspected terrorists along the IB during shelling with preemptive strikes.
He said the BSF had successfully foiled a major infiltration attempt involving suspected terrorists who were trying to cross over under the cover of Pakistani shelling in the Sialkot sector.
“We launched preemptive strikes and inflicted heavy losses. The adversary was forced to retreat. Their troops, Rangers, and terrorists suffered casualties,” he said.
He said there were consistent inputs about Pakistan planning to facilitate infiltration under the cover of cross-border firing and shelling. “The enemy is reorienting its defences to deal with such situation. We foiled their designs”.
He said thag BSF and Army are jointly dealing with tunnel threats. “We are keeping a close watch over every inch of land,” the IG said.
Anand, who took over command of the Jammu Frontier on February 7, highlighted the BSF’s robust response post the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack on tourists.
“Retaliation was evident after Operation Sindoor. In areas along the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri and the IB in Jammu, we took aggressive postures. Pakistani Rangers confined themselves to posts while BSF stayed on the front foot,” he said.
“We are enhancing surveillance and defensive measures. CIBMS (Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System) has been in place since 2017, and we are integrating more advanced technologies in the coming months,” he said.
Anand reiterated the BSF’s commitment to both security and civilian welfare. “We encourage farmers along the IB to continue agricultural activities. We ensure their protection and undertake civic action programmes as part of confidence-building measures.”
“BSF is India’s first line of defence. We do not provoke but will retaliate strongly against any misadventure. Our guard remains up, and our vigilance unwavering,” Anand said.
The Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) is transforming surveillance along the Jammu frontier, allowing real-time monitoring even in the most difficult terrains, Anand said.
He said a pilot project was launched back in 2017-18 and it has delivered encouraging results.
He was replying to a question about the update of the smart fencing project implemented along the International Border (IB) in the Jammu frontier.
“Significant technological infusion is expected to take place soon. It is our endeavour to bring every inch of the International Border under this system,” Anand added.
The IG said that when the Union Home Minister visited a forward post along the border in April, the BSF presented a live demonstration of the system, showcasing its capabilities.
Calling Jammu a “priority area” for the government, the senior BSF officer said the system allows the force to monitor “every activity, both across the border and behind it in real time.”
The smart fencing projects developed under CIBMS are the first of their kind in the country. Two such pilot projects, each covering a 5.5 km stretch of the border, have been implemented along sensitive patches of the International Border in Jammu, officials said.
The projects are equipped with a high-tech surveillance network that forms an invisible electronic barrier-on land, water, air, and even underground, they said.
Officials said the system is designed for stretches where traditional patrolling is impossible due to tough terrain or riverine gaps.
“It includes an array of advanced sensors such as thermal imagers, underground sensors (UGS), fibre-optic sensors, radar and sonar, deployed on aerostats, towers, and poles”, officials said.
“These sensors are integrated with advanced communication and data processing systems.
“The signals are transmitted to a Unified Command and Control Centre, enabling real-time monitoring 24×7 under all weather conditions-whether in dust storms, fog, or rain,” a senior officer said.
The CIBMS project represents a strategic push to modernise border security by replacing manual patrolling with smart surveillance solutions in high-risk areas.
Meanwhile, the BSF said it targeted 76 Pakistani border outposts and 42 Forward Defence Locations (FDLs) and destroyed three terrorist launch pads in strong retaliation to unprovoked firing and shelling by Pakistani Rangers along the International Border (IB) in the Jammu frontier during Operation Sindoor.
The BSF action came after Pakistan launched heavy firing and shelling on 60 Indian posts and 49 forward positions, reportedly providing cover for an attempted infiltration by 40-50 terrorists, officials said.
“Pakistan fired on our 60 border outposts and 49 forward defence locations. In response, we opened fire on 76 of their posts and 42 FDLs,” BSF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Chiterpaul Singh told reporters here.
Singh said a key terror launch pad run by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) near the Sunderbani sector was destroyed. “There is no movement seen from that area now,” he said.
Shashank Anand said intelligence inputs confirmed that multiple launch pads were hit, and there were several fatalities among terrorists and Pakistani Rangers during precision strikes.
“A Lashkar-e-Taiba launch pad opposite the ‘chicken neck’ area was neutralised on the night of May 9-10 using a special weapon system,” the IG said, adding three launch pads in Loni, Mastpur, and Chabbra were destroyed.
“We are still assessing the total damage in coordination with our partner agencies. Three launch pads and several posts were destroyed. Many Pakistani villages were vacated by Rangers,” he said.
Following the April 22 Pahalgam attack, he said, BSF and Army troops were deployed across sensitive regions including Rajouri and Poonch, while the border force strengthened its forward presence in Jammu, Samba, and Kathua.
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