New Delhi, Sept 11: Additional troops have been deployed in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, including along the Line of Control (LoC) and in the hinterland. Police have reinforced their positions near the LoC as part of a series of measures taken by the Army and Police to thwart infiltration attempts from Pakistan and to eliminate militants who have managed to sneak into this side.
Officials informed the Excelsior that police have been urged to connect villagers living near the LoC with WhatsApp Groups for rapid reports about any type of suspicious movement so that reinforcements may be deployed as soon as possible and terrorists killed or caught.

They said there have been reports that Rajouri and Poonch areas might witness more intrusion bids on the LoC as Pakistan was desperate to resuscitate militancy in the Rajouri, Poonch, and Reasi districts of the region and use this route for sending militants to South Kashmir.

As per the authorities, Armed force has fortified their positions on both LoC as well as hinterland by rushing in more troops to guarantee that the militants don’t manage to infiltrate from Pakistan and, if they succeed in crossing over, they are either killed or captured well before they could strike at their targets.

“All dhoks used by the tribes which they will start clearing by the end of this month or the start of next month with onset of winter, will be kept under observation as there have been reports that such dhoks might be utilized by the militants for shelter,’’ the officials said, recalling that in Bhatta Durrian (Mendhar) terror attack on April 20 in which five Army bravehearts were murdered, the militants involved had stayed in the dhoks.

They said drones are likely to be used for constant watch on the dhoks in mountainous zones of Rajouri and Poonch districts.

Police in Rajouri and Poonch districts have been asked to create WhatsApp Groups with people living close to LoC and other sensitive areas and ask them to share information in case they observe any suspicious movement. Police and security officers will also be included in the Groups.

“This will immediately alert police and security personnel and it will be easy to launch joint coordinated operations against the militants,’’ the officials said.

They added that the role of the Village Defence Guards (VDGs) is also exceptionally significant in monitoring the movement of the militants, especially during night hours.

In the Gundna Khwas encounter in Darhal and Dhakkikot and Chassana in Reasi district, the VDGs played very crucial role in gathering information about the militants and in eliminating them.
There have been reports that nearly a dozen militants are active in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch in addition to their four associates who were killed in Surankote and three others who were killed at Darhal, Dhakkikot and Chassana.

However, Pakistan continued to make attempts to push trained militants into the Indian territory. The majority of infiltration attempts have been foiled by the troops nearly 22 militants were killed this year.

It was on January 1 when the militants caused one of the major terror attacks after several years at Dhangri in Rajouri district killing seven civilians of the minority community. On April 20, five Army bravehearts lost their lives in a terror attack at Bhatta Durrian in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch district while five para commandos were murdered in another attack at Kandi forests in Rajouri district on May 5.

However, since then, the Army and Police have taken full control of the situation and eliminated and apprehended numerous militants.

Source: Daily Excelsior