Infiltration on the rise along LoC with 40 militants killed this year against 18 in 2022

Srinagar: After seeing a decline last year, infiltration attempts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir are gradually increasing in 2023 with 40 militants, who were trying to infiltrate, killed this year.

According to official figures last year, 12 infiltration bids by Pakistan-based militants were foiled by the Army along the LoC in which 18 foreign terrorists were killed. Though the Army’s three-tier grid along with surveillance equipment on the LoC has made it tougher for infiltrators to sneak into J&K, this year the infiltration attempts are again on the rise.

J&K police chief Dilbagh Singh said 40 infiltrating terrorists were killed along the LoC this year while “those who managed to sneak into this side were eliminated in different operations in the hinterland.”

“About 16 active launching pads are located on the other side of the border in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Activities to infiltrate more terrorists, push weapons and narco smuggling is a constant tool from another side of the border,” he said.

The increasing activity of militants along the LoC has prompted officials to relook at the winter strategy for containing militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. Officials and reports said that the trend of increasing violence points to the possibility of fresh infiltration along the LoC.

A senior police officer said with the past trends foreign terrorists try to sneak across the LoC before the winter snow on high mountain passes makes J&K inaccessible.

“Attempts to infiltrate terrorist groups have increased in the last few months. After zero infiltration for many months, the attempts are made to push more and more infiltrators to revive dying militancy,” he said.

General Officer Commanding of Army’s elite Vajr Division, Major General Girish Kalia in a recent presser said that Pakistan was determined to disturb peace and vitiate the security environment in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Security forces are working in complete synergy and are committed to defeating any attempt of the enemy to disrupt the security situation in the Kashmir valley with firm resoluteness and steadfast commitment,” he said after five militants were killed while trying to infiltrate the Machal sector of north Kashmir’s frontier Kupwara district earlier this week.