Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 28: Intelligence agencies have sounded that the summer this year along both Line of Control as well as International Border in entire Jammu and Kashmir could be very crucial for security forces in view of increased presence of militants on Pakistan side of the LoC and IB amid reports that upcoming months could witness surge in infiltration attempts by the militants though first four months of this year have witnessed largely very less intrusion bids.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Army and BSF were engaged in putting mechanism in place along LoC and IB respectively to keep the infiltration attempts completely under control as fresh intrusions could lead to disturbances including targeted attacks on security forces and police.
“While major concentration of the militants on Pakistan side has been reported from LoC in Kupwara and Baramulla districts of the Kashmir valley, the groups of militants have also been spotted at LoC in twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu region,” they said, adding few groups are occasionally observed across International Border in Samba, Kathua and Jammu districts but they disappear after finding the security personnel maintaining high alert.
Noting that movement of militants this year has been very high across LoC and IB as compared to last year, sources, however, said during first four months of this year, there has been very less infiltration attempts as compared to last year but anticipated that they could pick up during peak summer.
In view of this, they said, Army and BSF were working out strategy to keep the infiltration at zero and ensure that even if the militants tried to intrude, they are eliminated at any one the three-layers of the security personnel, formed at the LoC as part of strengthening the Anti-Infiltration Grid in the entire State.
The inputs given by the Intelligence agencies indicated that the militants were well equipped with arms and explosives and majority of them were Pakistanis. They have the full backing of Pakistan army and top militant commanders of Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen outfits to back their infiltration.
Apart from increasing manpower along LoC to tackle intrusions, security forces have also deployed sophisticated gadgetry along both LoC as well as IB to detect movement of the militants into this side.
“Since the militants have been finding it very difficult to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir as their series of intrusion bids have been thwarted on both LoC and IB, the Pakistani troops were now training the militants in infiltration through the fencing, tunnels, crossing riverines and adopting other measures etc,” sources pointed out.
Admitting that the latest training could lead to fresh infiltration attempts on LoC as well as IB, sources, however, said that security forces were well prepared to thwart intrusions by the trained militants. The militants, they said, will continue to make infiltration attempts, aided and abetted by Pakistan army and Rangers, but the security personnel are fully prepared to thwart them.
There have been reports with security forces that the militants were being trained in sneaking through the fencing or swim the riverines along the border for infiltration. However, for all such attempts, a strategy has been put in place both along LoC and IB to ensure that the militants didn’t succeed in their plans.
Apart from the specially trained militants, there were other groups of militants of different outfits, who have already been camping at the launching pads, waiting for an opportunity to infiltrate.
According to sources, Colonel level officers of Pakistan army were regularly visiting forward areas of LoC to personally supervise the infiltration attempts by the militants. The Pakistan army commandos have also been involved in the intrusion bids, they added.
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