The killing of five Indian soldiers in Poonch sector on Tuesday was a well-planned action by the Pakistan Army and ISI and the raid was cleared at the highest level in the Pakistan Army, official sources said.
The raiding team comprised mostly of commandos trained in sneaking into enemy territory and laying ambush. Pakistan has been using these Battle Action Teams (BAT) for last many years.
Terming the latest incident as a “raid” and not an “ambush or ceasefire violation,” sources said such acts were always cleared at the highest level in the Pakistan Army as these required crossing into enemy territory and inflicting casualty and destruction. “Clearance at the top is must in such cases as things can go wrong resulting in capture or death of own soldiers,” they said, adding the BAT generally has a very small section of so-called jehadis or militants.
Militants normally are averse to taking risks while infiltrating from across the loC as their main objective is to reach hinterland to carry out acts of terrorism. Given this fact, sources ruled out involvement of jehadis in the raid and maintained that it was the handiwork of Pakistani regular soldiers.
Poonch and Rajouri sector are geographically not conducive to infiltration for the purpose of reaching the Kashmir valley due to rugged mountain terrain.
Incidentally, the beheading of an Indian soldier on January 6 in Mendhar area of Rajouri sector took place about 40 km from the latest incident, officials said here on Tuesday, adding that the Pakistan Army enjoys tactical advantage in this region due to terrain.
Elaborating upon this crucial aspect, they said the 801 Mujahid unit of Pakistan Army facing the Indian positions in Poonch and Rajouri sectors was stationed on a height that made it easier for it to keep a watch on the movement of Indian troops.
The officials said the ambush took place between the anti-infiltration fence and the lOC. The 750-km long fence is located inside Indian territory 200 to 500 metres from the loC. The Army patrols the region to prevent infiltrators.