Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 1: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) have alerted security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir including Jammu and Kashmir Police that the militants could try to take advantages of floods and ongoing heavy rains to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) in the State and called for more intensified vigil during the disturbed weather conditions.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the MHA and the IB has sounded all security agencies operating in Jammu and Kashmir to maintain “extra ordinary vigil’’ in the State during adverse weather as there were reports that the militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) have reached close to LoC and IB and were trying to infiltrate into the Indian territory.
“There have been reports that the militants could take the route of Nullahs along the IB and snow clad mountains to infiltrate into this side when it was raining heavily almost in the entire State for past four to five days with no chances of improvement in weather conditions in next few days,’’ sources said.
Defence spokesman Col SD Goswami admitted that such a possibility (infiltration attempts by the militants under the cover of rains in Jammu and Kashmir) can’t be ruled out as this had happened during devastating floods in September also.
“We are fully alert. Though the Army is also helping in rescue and relief operations, it has not lowered guard on the borders. Rather, we have stepped up our vigil and counter-insurgency and counter-militancy operations remained our prime concern,’’ he said.
Col Goswami said the militants could try to take advantage of adverse weather conditions prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir for the past few days but troops were maintaining very high sense of alert all along the LoC to thwart the militant designs.
During devastating floods in September also, there had been reports that some militants had managed to infiltrate into the State.
In last month’s twin attacks at police station and Army camp in Kathua and Samba districts, security forces had recovered one jacket along with track suits and boots from near the weather, which had reportedly been used by the militants to swim into this side either from Gabbar or Tarnah Nullah along the IB in Hiranagar sector.
Some of the Nullahs were not completely fenced and the BSF had to maintain vigil there by round-the-clock patrolling. Moreover, in some areas, the fencing is washed away due to floods in the Nullahs and heavy rains, sources pointed out but said the BSF was maintaining strict vigil in all such areas to thwart intrusion bids.
On the LoC in twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch also, there had been some Nullahs and passes, which become flooded in heavy rains.
“The militants were trying to take advantage of these Nullahs and passes to infiltrate during the rains. This was amply clear from the intercepts of the LeT and HM outfits. However, Army on the LoC and BSF on the IB was maintaining alert to counter plans of the militants,’’ sources said.
The alert sounded by the Intelligence agencies pointed out that the militants of LeT and HM have suddenly become active across the LoC and IB with a view to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir under the cover of floods and heavy rains, which have been lashing the State for the past few days and could continue for some more days, sources said.
They added that the MHA and IB alert has been taken very seriously and all security agencies have taken pre-emptive measures to thwart any possibility of infiltration attempts by the militants.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel