Army foiled LeT design of civilian target during polls: GOC

Fayaz Bukhari

SRINAGAR, Dec 7: Army today said that the militants who attacked Army camp at Mohra in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Friday infiltrated through Uri sector from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and commended troops for avoiding attack on any civilian target which they were aiming at to disrupt the polls.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 15 Corps, Lt General Subrata Saha today told a press conference here that highly effective security grid for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally is in place.
“The security grid is in place and you are probably listening to some surveillance operation which is going on at top (helicopters). So the grid is very much in place and it is highly effective. I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to reveal anything more than that”, said the GOC.
Lt General Saha said that army estimates suggest that the six militants who carried out suicide attack at Mohra in Uri infiltrated into Kashmir through Uri sector a day before the attack. “Our estimate is that the Uri infiltration took place on night intervening December 3 and 4. They would have come in and hid in the jungle and the terrain that is there. And there after on the night intervening December 4 and 5, they approached this particular position”, said the GOC.
The General said that target of these militants was to disrupt the poll process but they were engaged by the Army and killed. “The road, as you know, between Baramulla and Uri is thickly and densely populated. The aim must have to come and strike at targets to cause fear and disrupt the peaceful conditions that were obtaining for the electoral process. They came and banged against this position of ours and where in a span of barely 60 odd metres, all the six terrorists were neutralised”, he added.
The GOC commended the troops for their brave fight to avoid harm to civilians. “It is their brave fight that ensured that the attack on civilian targets was avoided and any harm to innocent civilians, particularly during this period when elections are on, was avoided”, he added.
The Army officer said that there is no security lapse or any hole in the counter-infiltration grid that led to this attack and primary aim of the grid is security of people. “The penetration has taken place only upto a certain limit and after that it has been defeated and all the terrorists neutralised before they could cause any harm to civilians. The primary purpose of the counterinsurgency grid is to protect and keep the people of Kashmir secure”, he added.
The GOC said that these militants were of Lashkar-e-Toiba and their designs have been defeated. “Quite clearly the sinister designs of the adversary have been defeated. We have enough evidence that both the groups were from the LeT. The markings on the warlike and logistic stores whether it is food, ammunition, medicines or clothes, clearly indicates that they were of Pakistan manufacture origin. The terrorists were heavily armed and they had enough food to last several days. I think it goes to the credit of the security personnel that they were able to neutralise these heavily armed terrorists within hour and could bring situation under control”, he added.
Lt General Saha said that Global Positioning System (GPS) recovered from the dead militants suggested that they infiltrated from North of Jhelum in Uri and were planning to hit a populated area. “The sets (GPS) recovered reveals that there is a staging area North of Jhelum. One infiltration took place in TMG and one in Uri sector. I am not revealing the exact location for obvious reasons. They did not hit the exact spot but they were coming to a very populated area”, he added.
The GOC said that these militants were highly trained and the infiltration was not an ordinary one. “To say it was a routine infiltration, would be improper. The sequence in which the events have happened and if you see the numbers and levels of training that has gone in to preparing these people, it is not an ordinary infiltration. It is linked to the larger events that are taking place here”, he added.
Lt General Saha said that these militants were highly trained for high altitude and snowy conditions. “There is no doubt that they were highly trained terrorists. The TMG infiltration took place in high altitude and snowy conditions. To infiltrate in these conditions requires high level of physical fitness. The second operation on Mohra, they crossed Jhelum by foot, which obviously requires high level of training. I would say these terrorists were capable of special operations. The way in which all these incidents took place, one after the other- ceasefire violations, IEDs being pushed in and then weapons. It is obvious that these things cannot happen without any push and without a patron or coordination and synchronization”, he added.
The GOC said that recent attacks timed to disrupt the poll process in the State. “Quite clearly they are timed both in time and space. 25th, first phase of elections, the voter turnout you are well aware. 26/27 Arnia happened. At that time international events were taking place. Then December 2, the second phase of elections which was happening in Kupwara and it is precisely from that area, TMG, the first operation takes place. Then the third phase of elections which goes into the area of Uri, Baramulla and that belt. That is where the infiltration is taking place. So if you see, it is quite well coordinated both in time and space”, he added.
Lt General Saha said that 100 militants were killed this year as compared to last year during which 89 were killed. “In this year, a total of 145 terrorists have been neutralised and the number of terrorists killed in 100 in 2014. Compared to last year, a total of 89 terrorists were neutralised and 62 were killed. In counter infiltration the number terrorists killed has been substantially higher at 51”, he added.
The GOC said that situation along the LoC in Kashmir has been peaceful this year barring few odd incidents. “There were these several beatings across the Line of Control some of which has been reported by the media also. Then there was ceasefire violation on Nov 8 in Uri sector. Otherwise, by and large the Line of Control in Kashmir has been stable given an odd incident here and there. But there was one occasion in which that young 17-year-old girl in Kamalkote died. The army also lost a brave soldier”, he added.
Lt General Saha said that militants have been trying to make attempts to smuggle arms and ammunition and carry out blasts. “After that we had three instances in which IEDs were recovered on 10, 15 and 27 November. These IEDs were recovered with the inputs that we got from one of the sinister agencies. It was a coordinated effort. On 23 November, 18 almost new AK 47 rifles and two pistols were recovered”, he added.

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