Jammu: Over 50 terrorists are likely present on the launching pads across the border to sneak into Jammu region, a senior Army officer said, asserting that the forces are fully alert to the challenge and will foil any infiltration attempt, which change especially during the winter months.
Speaking to reporters after the successful elimination of three terrorists in Akhnoor sector near here, General Officer Commanding of 10 Infantry Division, Major General Sameer Srivastava said the Army will not allow the terrorists a free run to harm civilians.
“The pattern of infiltration changes with each passing year, especially during snowfall and we are ready for the challenge,” the officer said.
Flanked by Brigadier Kapil Taneja, commander of 28 infantry brigade and Deputy Inspector General of Police, Jammu-Kathua-Samba Range, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Maj Gen Srivastava said the challenges remain the same – counter the infiltration and terrorist actions.
“We are fully prepared as you have seen in the recent successful operations against terrorists. I am sure such successful operations will have an impact on terrorism,” he said.
Asked about the number of terrorists likely present on the launching pads south of Pir Panjal, he said the inputs about the figure usually keeps varying with changing times.
“As per the joint intelligence reports, there are 50 to 60 terrorists present there,” the senior Army officer said.
Describing the killing of three terrorists in Akhnoor as a major success for the security forces, he said they were not part of the fresh infiltration group.
Maj Gen Srivastava said, “This was a group which was present in the hinterland and we were tracking them for some time. They came here and got exposed.”
“The area (Akhnoor) will be kept under strict surveillance even as ground reports suggest that there were only three terrorists,” he added.
He said the counter-infiltration grid has been strengthened and “no infiltration had taken place in this area”.
The terrorists present in the hinterland are moving in small groups and had moved to this area for a direct action, he said.
Maj Gen Srivastava said there is no permanent presence of terrorists in Akhnoor, adding, “We will not let our guard down. The area has seen no infiltration for a long time.”
On a question about the recovery of sophisticated M-4 carbine from the slain terrorists and the possibility of the Pakistan army directly providing arms to the terrorists, he said, “The source (of providing arms) can be many and it is very difficult to speculate.”
Asked whether the terrorists were planning a similar attack as the one in Gulmarg ahead of Diwali in Jammu, he quipped “that is what it appears”, adding, “Any other reason to be there is very unlikely. Even if it was there, it (Jammu) was a wrong selection.”
Responding to another question about the attire of the slain terrorists, he said the types of combat uniforms are easily available in the market.
The senior Army officer said a huge cache of arms, ammunition and IEDs were recovered from the dead terrorists but denied having recovered an explosive vest during the operation.
“No belt IED was found even as all of them had personal weapons and ammunition,” he said, adding ‘fidayeen’ (suicide) action is something very difficult to be carried out in this area.”
On terrorists targeting peaceful areas, he said terrorism is all about sensationalising things and “I think they came here (Akhnoor) to make sensational news”.
Army steps up surveillance along LoC in Rajouri, Poonch
In the wake of a string of terror attacks, the Indian Army, armed with advanced surveillance equipment and weapons, has intensified vigilance and patrolling in the dense forest areas of Jammu and Kashmir’s twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, officials said
Seven attacks have occurred just in the past two weeks, resulting in 13 fatalities, including two soldiers.
Amidst these developments, the Indian Army is executing an aggressive area domination plan across Jammu and Kashmir.
As part of this strategy, area domination patrols, speculative cordon and search operations (CASOs), and intelligence-based operations are being conducted regularly to monitor terrorist movements along the LoC and in the hinterlands, the officials said.
They are backed up with drones, quadcopters, modern weapons and surveillance equipment to scan forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) and monitor any suspicious movement to neutralise any threat of cross-border infiltration.
In Rajouri and Poonch districts, Army’s Rashtriya Rifles troops are conducting regular and aggressive search operations, particularly in dense forest areas, despite challenging conditions, they said.
Army troops are closely monitoring all dense forest areas through both technical and manual means, especially in regions notorious for recent terror incidents, while forest patrolling has also been intensified, they added.
To stay prepared, the Indian Army is conducting special training sessions and firing practice camps for its personnel deployed in the hinterlands of Rajouri and Poonch.
A heightened state of security in the hinterlands across Jammu and Kashmir has emerged over the past few months following repeated terror strikes. An operation is currently on in the Akhnoor area of Jammu, where three terrorists have been killed.
In order to enhance the firing and operational skills of personnel on hinterland duties, the Indian Army is organising regular special training capsules, they stated.
These specialised firing practice sessions are held in dense forest areas, where Army teams conduct anti-terror operations and training simultaneously, they said.
During these sessions, Army personnel are trained to use both small arms, like pistols, and automatic weapons like AK rifles and firing at both static and moving targets.
Troops also receive ongoing training in Quick Action tactics following any terror-related incident which include utilising special bulletproof vehicles for rapid response.
