Fayaz Bukhari
Baramulla, June 7: Army today said that the coordinated efforts by the security forces along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan and inside Kashmir valley have foiled the infiltration attempts of the militants from across the LoC.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) Baramulla based 19-Division of Army; Major General V K Khandare told Excelsior that tight vigil along the LoC and continuous pressure by the army’s Kilo Force and Victor Force on militants in the Kashmir valley has helped in curbing the infiltration.
The Army Commander said that security forces have put pressure on the militants in the hinterland and the militants who are trying to cross the LoC don’t get the receiving parties for infiltration. “They have been kept on toes by the troops in the hinterland by successful operations which is one of the hurdles infiltrators are facing”, he added.
The successful operations in which several militants were killed in North and South Kashmir since March this year are putting pressure on militants inside Kashmir valley and the militants are desperate for cross over to fill the void.
The General said that the troops along the LoC are on heightened alert to prevent any attempt by the militants to infiltrate into Kashmir valley. He said that the fence along the LoC, the main part of the anti-infiltration, that gets damaged due to snow in winter has almost fully repaired now.
On the recent infiltration bid that was foiled in Kayan Bowl of Tootmari Gali (TMG) sector, the Army Commander said that it was a group of 5 militants and two of them fled back while three of them were killed near the fence.
The General while sharing the details of the tight vigil along the LoC said that the group that was killed in TMG sector this month had done reconnaissance of the sector on April 29 and it took them over a month for the attempt to cross the LoC and were killed near the fence by the troops who were waiting for them.
On infiltrators targeting the TMG sector for infiltration over the years, the Army Commander said that there is a militant camp, Sharifa, in Leppa valley on the other side of the TMG sector where around 4-5 militant groups have camps. He said that the targeting of any sector for infiltration depends of the availability of the guides.
The General, however, said that the militants are now making use of the GPS for infiltration. “We have plugged in all the routes that were possible targets of the militants for infiltration”, he added.
The Army Commander said that militants are constantly conducting reconnaissance of the various sectors along the LoC for infiltration but army is not allowing them to get in.
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