Kashmir is at the cusp of a new beginning as the security situation in the Valley is "peaceful and stable" but reducing the footprints of security forces is not recommended at this stage, a top Army officer said here on Thursday.
Lieutenant General B S Raju, who will take over as the new DGMO, handed over the charge of the strategic XV Corps of the Army, which guards the Line of Control in Kashmir Valley, to Lt Gen D P Pandey.
Army on Wednesday bid a tearful adieu to eight soldiers who were killed in a brazen militant attack at Hyderpora bypass in the outskirts of Srinagar on Monday.
As part of the deradicalisation strategy, the army, with the cooperation of the Union Territory administration, has undertaken a series of initiatives.
Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, General Officer Commanding of the Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps laid a wreath at the iconic Kargil War Memorial in Drass on behalf of the nation and paid tribute to the gallant heroes, Col Kalia said.
General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the Army's Srinagar-based 15 Corps or Chinar Corps, Lt Gen D P Pandey, said there have been some infiltration attempts, but unlike previous years they have not been 'adequately supported' by ceasefire violations.
The Army has foiled an attempt to push in arms and ammunition by Pakistan from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Keran sector of Jammu and Kashmir and recovered a cache, including four AK 74 rifles.
The surprise reiteration of the ceasefire agreement by the two neighbours from the midnight of February 24 last year came as a huge relief to the people of Uri near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
Aurangzeb was abducted when he was on his way home in Rajouri district for Eid celebrations.
The terrorists are holed up inside the multi-storeyed government complex of Entrepreneurship Development Institute on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
Ahead of the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, army on Monday said that the infiltration attempts along the Line of Control are on with the militants employing a "desperate" trend by pushing in IEDs and huge cache of weapons in the state.
Of the 18 terrorists killed, 14 belonged to JeM including its "six main commanders", the Lt. Gen., flanked by IGP Kashmir S P Pani and IG CRPF Zulfiqar Hassan, said.
On Monday, Colonel Rai had won the Yudh Seva medal. A day later, he fell to bullets.
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