ibune News Service

Jammu, March 3

Chief of Army Staff Gen Bipin Rawat on Sunday visited various Army forward locations of Samba and Ratnuchak in the Jammu region to review the operational deployment and preparedness. On Saturday, he had visited the 16 Corps headquarters.

The area falls under the Western Command of the Army.

Giving details, a defence spokesman said the Army Chief was briefed about the situation and preparedness by General Officer Commanding, Rising Star Corps (9 Corps), Lt Gen JS Nain.

“The Army Chief interacted with the troops at forward locations and expressed complete confidence in the Army’s capabilities to thwart any nefarious design of enemies of our country and handle any situation,” he said.

General Rawat also praised the high state of morale and preparedness of the troops, he added.

His visit to the state is considered crucial with respect to the current ground situation after the Indian Air Force conducted airstrikes deep inside Pakistan. Since the Pulwama attack on February 14, the hostility between India and Pakistan has increased.

The Rising Star Corps is managing the second line of defence on the 198-km International Border whereas the BSF is at the forefront. On several occasions, Army installations of this corps have been targeted by terrorists after infiltrating from across the border. Being close to the border, the alertness of Army in the area has to be high to thwart any aggression of Pakistan.