Ahead of the coming summer season, the Indian Army has increased its footprints both along the line of Control and the International Border across the State of Jammu & Kashmir to check infiltration bids by terrorists. The sole aim behind pumping in more men in olive greens is to check fresh infiltration bids by heavily armed militants camping across the launching pads inside Pak border.
According to recent assessment reports of the various intelligence agencies, around 350 trained militants were still active across the launching pads in Pakistan and awaiting their turn to sneak inside the Indian territory. To defeat nefarious designs of the handlers of Pak-based militant outfits, the Indian Army has also started repair work of damaged portions of barbed wire fencing along the line of Control especially in North Kashmir.
According to Defence sources, certain patches of barbed wire fencing was damaged due to heavy accumulation of snow in the recent months. Now as temperatures have started rising and mountain passes would be cleared of thick layer of snow, fresh infiltration bids through these routes would increase during the summer season.
Interacting with the mediapersons on the sidelines of a felicitation ceremony at Jammu railway station on Monday, lt-Gen DS Hooda, GoC-in-C of Udhampur-based Northern Command headquarters said, “Ahead of the coming summer season we have also increased total troop deployment along the line of Control to check infiltration attempts”. He said we have received inputs that with the melting of snow, the militant training camps located close to the border area become active. He said the alert troops of the Indian Army are keeping a tight vigil along the loC to foil infiltration attempts. "We are fully prepared to deal with any situation", he added.
Referring to two recent fidayeen attacks on police and Army installations along the crucial Jammu-Pathankot National Highway on March 20-21 in Jammu region, lt Gen Hooda said, "The Indian Army has also deployed at least 30 companies in second tier of security cordon to plug the infiltration routes in Samba and Kathua districts". he said after the fence along the IB suffered damages during floods in Jammu region, the militants tried to take advantage of the situation and concentrated in Jammu region.
He said the Indian Army has deployed its men in aid of BSF which is chiefly responsible to check the infiltration bids from across the International Border. Commenting on the prevailing situation along the loC, lt-Gen Hooda said the Indian Army is gradually introducing integrated fencing along loC during repair works. He said to enhance electronic surveillance along the vulnerable routes of infiltration, the barbed wire fencing would be fitted with more sophisticated sensors to check any infiltration bids from across the loC.
The senior Army officer said as per the latest assessment reports, "around 200-250 militants were camping across the launching pads in Jammu region while 100 militants would be camping across the launching pads in Kashmir valley.
He said as militants have changed their strategy and have been attacking security installations across Jammu region. “We too have worked out our deployment plan to strengthen our counter infiltration grid across the State,” he said adding that in the coming months the total strength of militants may increase in Kashmir valley as infiltration bids were expected to go up after the melting of snow along the mountain passes.