Army intensifies vigil along LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after terror attack surge

Srinagar: In the wake of recent surge in terror attacks, the Army has ramped up its vigilance and patrolling efforts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir with deployment of state-of-the-art drones and monitoring systems to detect and deter militant activity in hard-to-reach areas.

Sources said heightened vigilance which includes area domination patrols, speculative cordon and search operations, and intelligence-based operations are being conducted regularly to monitor terrorist movements along the LoC and in the hinterlands.

The intensified operations have led to increased patrols along key routes and in vulnerable areas, aiming to prevent militants from infiltrating into populated regions.

“These initiatives are backed up with drones, quadcopters, modern weapons and surveillance equipment to scan forward areas along the LoC and monitor any suspicious movement to neutralise any threat of cross-border infiltration,” they said.

On October 24, three soldiers and two civilian porters were killed after heavily armed terrorists ambushed an army vehicle in Botapathr area near famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district along the LoC.

There have been intelligence reports of infiltration attempts from various areas along the LoC, including Tulail, Gurez, Machil and Gulmarg in north Kashmir, since last year, but the army has been denying them due to lack of corroboration.

Three to four terrorists involved in the Bota Pathri terror attack are believed to have been holed up in the higher reaches of Afrawat since early August, officials said. Security forces have noted that the infiltration and recruitment of local youths have increasingly taken place through online platforms.