Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 4: As troops foiled another infiltration attempt by the militants on the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector, authorities said they were anticipating more intrusion bids in the coming days when Monsoon rains would make weather adverse and increase growth of vegetation and forest cover.
Official sources said troops observed four militants trying to sneak into the Indian territory from near Durga Post in Digwar sub sector of Poonch district in the wee hours of this morning. Troops immediately opened firing to neutralize the militants before they could enter into this side.
Within 15 minutes of firing, the troops were able to push back the militants to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) from where they had been launched. All four militants were heavily armed and appeared to be Pakistanis.
They retreated without offering much resistance after finding heavy presence of Army on this side of the LoC.
Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, Rajesh Kumar told the Excelsior that there had been no successful infiltration attempt on the LoC or International Border (IB) in Jammu sector this year.
“We have been watching the situation completely but so far Army and BSF haven’t allowed any militant to intrude into this side,” Mr Kumar said adding though a number of intrusion bids have been made on the LoC in the recent past “all of them have been successfully thwarted”.
Troops have been maintaining very high alert on the LoC after the killing of `human bomb’ in Sabjian sub sector of Poonch and two Pakistani militants in Keri sector of Rajouri district during past about one week.
A militant, who had strapped explosives on his body with a view to target a forward Army post on the LoC in Sabjian sector, was fired upon by the troops leading to an explosion and his killing on spot. As the infiltrator was carrying explosives, his body was blown into pieces.
Pakistan Army had on Tuesday fired upon a police team that had gone to collect remain of the slain `human bomb’ but the team had a narrow escape.
Prior to the killing of `human bomb’, Army had gunned down two militants at Keri sector on the LoC in Rajouri district and injured another. The injured militant had retreated to PoK.
Sources said the militants, who tried to infiltrate this morning, were also heavily armed. They tried to take advantage of thick growth of vegetation and adverse weather conditions in the area but didn’t succeed as the troops had been on high alert after series of intrusion bids on the LoC in twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch.
Sources said the Army authorities had been anticipating more infiltration attempts on the LoC, where the weather would become more adverse with the onset of Monsoon due to frequent rains, which would also increase growth of vegetation and forest cover shrouding the LoC.
“The militants would try to take advantage of adverse weather conditions to infiltrate,” sources said but added that troops wouldn’t allow the infiltrators to take advantage of weather and other conditions favourable to them like thick growth of vegetation.
Only yesterday, General Officer Commanding (GOC), 16 Corps, Lt Gen D S Hooda had said in Nowshera that situation was tense in view of frequent infiltration attempts and ceasefire violations by the militants and Pakistan Army respectively.
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