Infiltration into Kashmir down to a trickle: Army

Tributes being paid to two slain soldiers at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar on Sunday. The soldiers were killed on Saturday during an encounter with militants in Kupwara district. Tribune Photo: Amin War

Srinagar, February 14

The Army today said infiltration from across the Line of Control (LoC) into Kashmir was down to a “trickle” when compared to earlier years, as the Valley was seeing a decrease in the number of militants with less than 100 ultras in terrorist launch pads.“There has been no increase in the presence of terrorists. Their numbers are decreasing,” General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps, Lt Gen Satish Dua, said here.The Army Commander was addressing the media after paying floral tributes to two jawans who were killed in an encounter with militants in Kupwara.The General Officer Commanding said the terrain on the Line of Control was such that infiltration does take place, but the Army had been able to limit the numbers.“I will not deny that (infiltration is taking place). In 2015, there were more than 600 inputs of infiltration. However, because of the counter-infiltration grid and our alertness on the LoC, we have been able to limit their numbers. You all know, 10-15 years ago, the kind of infiltration that used to take place. Today, that is down to a trickle,” he said.He said the number of militants waiting in the launch pads across the Line of Control had also come down. “The numbers that are waiting across in the launch pads used to be higher during summers. Presently, the numbers have come down. They are little under 100,” he said.He said there were higher numbers of inputs about infiltration attempts in Kupwara, but the success of the counter-infiltration grid was that militant groups were not allowed to move into the hinterland.“Since about the last three months, we had many intelligence inputs about infiltration taking place and several operations were conducted in the area of Kupwara.“The militant groups have not been able to move to the hinterland because of an effective and robust counter-infiltration grid. That is the reason that you are seeing that these killings are taking place in the area of Kupwara,” he said.“Due to the treacherous terrain in that area, terrorists who manage to cross over are trapped in the reception areas just behind the LoC,” he said.He said the Pathankot incident did not necessitate any changes for the Army in the Valley as they constantly kept improving their measures.“Our measures on the LoC and in the depth of it were already very strong and have been like that for years. We constantly keep improving them. The Pathankot incident did not have to bring about or necessitate any changes for us. We are constantly improving it and we have a robust grid on the LoC,” he said. —PTI

‘e-war’ by terror outfits sets alarm bells in J&K

Ravi Krishnan Khajuria,Tribune News Service,Jammu, February 14

Terror outfits such as the ISIS and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) have set alarm bells ringing across the militancy-infested state by targeting Kashmir in the ‘e-war’ being waged in the cyber world.The Army strongly wants to have a counter system in place to tackle such terror outfits and at the same time “plug” local Kashmiri militants and their sympathisers in the virtual world.“Firstly, the situation in the Valley, especially south Kashmir, is a matter of concern to us. We should not go into the statistics of how many (ultras) have been killed and how many injured. There is much more on the ground than statistics,” said a top source in the Army.The second half of last year had seen a spurt in militant attacks and activities, especially in south Kashmir, which emerged as the new hub of militants.“Local youth took up guns and that is a disturbing trend. And, the websites of ISIS and the JuD have come up as effective tools for them to radicalise youth and pursue their subversive agenda,” a defence source said.“To counter their nefarious plans, we should also have a system in place on the lines of the US which has the National Counter Terrorism Center for the purpose, said the defence source.“The Army has already discussed the issue threadbare and the government has also accepted that social sites were being misused by terror outfits to radicalise Indian youth. However, the Home Ministry has to take a call,” he added.“The new breed of militants in Kashmir led by Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani has used social media like WhatsApp and Facebook to attract Kashmiri youth to militancy and they were successful in their plan. Terror outfits are also spewing venom on social sites. So, unbridled freedom to such terror outfits and insurgents should cease. The sooner it happens, the better it will be,” he said.

South Kashmir emerges as militant hub

The second half of last year had seen a spurt in militant attacks and activities especially in south Kashmir, which emerged as the new hub of militants.
Defence sources said the new breed of militants in Kashmir led by Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani has used social media like WhatsApp and Facebook to attract Kashmiri youth to militancy and they were successful in their plan