BSF detects 150-metre transborder tunnel along international border in J&K's Kathua

A 150-metre tunnel suspected to be used for infiltration of terrorists from Pakistan was detected by the Border Security Force (BSF) at the International Border in Hira Nagar sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district on Wednesday.

It was unearthed by a patrol party during an anti-tunneling operation in Bobiyaan village, said N S Jamwal, Inspector General of BSF, Jammu frontier.

"The opposite of this side is Pakistan's Shakergarh, which is notorious for launch pads and bases of militants. We have inputs with us, as a result of which we are sensitive to whatever is happening here," Jamwal said.

He said sandbags with Pakistani markings point to the role of the neighbouring country’s establishment in the construction of the tunnel, which is identical to those detected earlier.

This is the third tunnel unearthed along the International Border (IB) in the twin districts of Samba and Kathua over the past six months, and the ninth in the past decade.

On November 15, a similar underground tunnel was detected at the IB in Samba district. The 2.5-metre-wide and 30-metre-deep tunnel was constructed with proper engineering efforts.

A senior police officer said that Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed militants are being trained by experts in the Pakistani army in the technology adopted by Hamas, which cleverly uses tunnels against Israel defence forces.

"Militants, with the help of the Pakistan army, dig tunnels in terrains that provide cover from observation posts," he said