In one of the biggest arms hauls in recent times, the Indian Army on Sunday seized 18 AK-47 rifles and five pistols from a militant hideout in forests near the Line of Control in Kupwara district of poll-bound Jammu and Kashmir.
This move by the BSF is in protest to the growing incidents of ceasefire violations across the Line of Control and the International Border.
At least 90 militants have entered into Jammu and Kashmir from across the border this year while a few dozens more are waiting for opportunities to cross over, a senior security official said on Thursday.
'We are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea'
The army has killed five militants of Lashkar-e-Tayiba outfit in north Kashmir's forest area during the ongoing operations launched Monday last.
The army has gunned down two more intruding militants on the Line of Control in north Kashmir's Kupwara district.
The Pakistan army on Thursday dismissed as "baseless" that its troops were involved in massive infiltration attempts from across the Line of Control into Jammu and Kashmir.
"Alert troops noticed movement of heavily armed militants along the Line of Control in Keran sector of Kupwara at around 2.30 am. The militants were challenged, triggering off exchange of firing between the two sides," an army official said.
Four suspected Lashkar-e-Toiba militants and two soldiers were on Sunday killed in two separate operations close to Line of Control in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir.
A large quantity of weapons, including AK-47 rifles and mines with Pakistan-marking were recovered from the slain terrorist.
Pakistan's military spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor in a midnight tweet expressed disappointment at Gen Rawat's assertions.
The field intelligence units of the Army coupled with inputs comprising HUMINT (human intelligence) and TECHINT (technical intelligence) indicate that around 300 terrorists, mainly of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT), are waiting across the border to sneak in, officials said, citing reports from Srinagar collated in the national capital.
The Indian Air Force is operating with "much less" aircraft than its authorised strength of 42 combat squadrons and in case of any further delay in the proposed 126 fighter jet deal, the force levels in the service will "go down rapidly", its chief NAK Browne said on Friday.
In a telephonic conversation, Lt Gen A K Bhatt, the director general of military operations, also told his Pakistani counterpart that the Indian Army was sincere about maintaining peace on the LoC.
This is the first time the government sources have confirmed that artillery fire was indeed used by the Army to launch a massive assault against Pakistan.
On a specific input, the security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Reban area of south Kashmir district, a police spokesperson said.
Around 200 heavily armed militants were waiting across the Line of Control to infiltrate into the Indian side even as the security forces foiled several attempts by the ultras to sneak into KashmirValley following the recent floods.
Pakistani troops have resorted to four ceasefire violations along the Line of Control in Keran and Macchil sectors in Kashmir, the army said on Friday. "Four ceasefire violations have been reported from Keran and adjoining Macchil sectors along the LoC since Thursday afternoon," Defence spokesman Lt Colonel J S Brar told PTI.
The repeated skirmishes saw over 4,000 villagers from near borders to government camps at safer places in the district.
The Army on Monday said that the Lashkar-e-Islam group which was behind the attacks on mobile towers in the Valley appears to be a "fringe" element, adding that such threats were investigated seriously.
Sheela Bhatt, who is accompanying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his trips to Russia and China, speaks to a senior source in the government who says that New Delhi is keenly following the developments along the Line of Control.
"Since the Hyderpora attack of June 24, there have been a series of successful operations both on LoC and in the hinterland area. We have killed 28 terrorists in this period, out of which 18 were eliminated on the LoC and 10 in the hinterland," GOC of Srinagar-based 15 Corps Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh told reporters in Srinagar.
'The Chinese thought India would back off. 'They did not expect such a firm Indian response to their expansionist manoeuvre.'
Two top Army commanders on Saturday said the fresh ceasefire between India and Pakistan will have no bearing on the counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir and that the force will exercise 'maximum restraint' in the event of any violation by the neighbouring country.
'By beheading an Indian soldier, the Pakistan army has demonstrated its proclivity for barbaric medievalism.' 'The strategies adopted and the punishment inflicted by India must be made progressively more stringent with every new act of terrorism till the cost becomes prohibitive for Pakistan,' says Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd).
'If the strength of foreign terrorists can be brought to negligible levels there will be few takers for militancy.' 'That is why it is important to neutralise the terrorists at their launch pads,' advises Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd).
Singh said there is a large presence of terrorists across the Line of Control (LoC) but expressed confidence that the counter-infiltration grid will take care of the threat.
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'I am aware that mention of a threat to Gulmarg emanating from my perception may send negative signals to tourists but there are realities which need to be taken stock of.' 'Gulmarg is not far from Srinagar and is what the army calls in its parlance "a big name place." Such places draw attention much faster when negative incidents take place and give value of eyeball attraction.'
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