300-odd terrorists waiting to sneak into J&K

 The terrorists have been spotted moving in batches from place to place along the LoC, apparently in search of vulnerable spots from where they could infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir, Defence Ministry sources said here today.

The attempt was to push in as many terrorists as possible before the onset of winter when snowfall will make the mountainous terrains impregnable, the sources said.

"The next two months are crucial," they said, expecting a jump in the infiltration attempts.

In the recent times, there have been a number of attempts at infiltration, many times accompanied by firing from across the LoC to provide cover to such bids.

Security forces have killed at least 25 terrorists while foiling these infiltration attempts last month and these encounters took place at points along the LoC.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in an address to a conference of state police chiefs on Tuesday, had termed as worrisome secessionists and militant groups in Kashmir making common cause with "outside elements" and noted that infiltration across the LoC was going up.

The Prime Minister had also told the police chiefs that infiltration attempts and encounters with armed militants too had gone up in the recent weeks and months.

Defence Ministry sources said the 300-odd terrorists were at present camping at around 30 places all along the LoC, most of which were located in PoK.

"They are camping in concrete structures, mostly houses. These camps are not huts. These camps have been clearly identified by Indian security forces," they said.

Most of these terrorists come from anti-India terror outfits such as Lashkar-e-Toiba, Al Badr and Hizbul Mujahideen, they added.

Sources also put the number of terrorists currently operating in Jammu and Kashmir at 600. About 150 of these terrorists were foreign mercenaries, aided and abetted by Pakistan, they said.

In July and August this year, there were about two dozen infiltration attempts from across the LoC. The security forces have estimated that about 50 terrorists had infiltrated into the state during the period.

Last year, though, there were not a single infiltration attempt during the two months, the sources added.