M A I N   N E W S

Army to launch major operation
Ultras to be flushed out from Jammu border belt

New Delhi, July 24
The Army is set to launch a major operation to flush out militants in Rajouri, Udhampur, Akhnoor and Jammu areas and has also finalised plans to reposition some of its establishments in these border areas to make them less vulnerable to militant suicide strikes.

The plan to launch the new operation was finalised at a high-level meeting at Army Headquarters today chaired by the Chief of Army Staff, Gen. N.C. Vij. It comes in the wake of intelligence reports that there had been a step-up in infiltration from across the Jammu border, particularly the Chamb-Akhnoor axis.

Highly placed officials said the meeting which was attended by the Army top brass, including the operational and intelligence commanders, had been called to take stock of the militants move to step up attacks on Army establishments in field areas near the border.

Officials said while infiltration had drastically come down in the Poonch-Mendhar and Surankote sectors following placement of a number of highly sophisticated Israeli and US imported sensors and stepping up of the pace of building an anti- militancy electronic wall 6 km from the LoC, the militants now were using the less monitored belt from Chicken Neck to Kalidhar ranges to cross the border.

As a first major step, all Army units in Pathankot to Akhnoor belt have been told to clear the monsoon elephant grass around their establishments. The tall grass was used by the militants to launch the suicide attack on the Sunjawan as well as Tanda camps.

The Army will use special forces who have recently been armed with Travos multi purpose small arms for rapid surprise sweeps against the militants.

The operations are likely to gather momentum after large force levels presently tied with security cover for the Amarnath pilgrims are released in the first week of August. The operations would be launched in tandem with the Nagrota-based 16 Corps and Srinagar based 15 Corps.

Officials said the new operations would be separate from the ongoing Sarp Vinash anti-militancy drive on in Surankote and parts of remote Doda and Kishtwar areas.

Along with new operations to keep the heat on militants, the forces have also been directed to reposition formations to allow the troops to achieve better area dominance.

The anti-militancy units have also been asked to strictly adhere to model operating code already worked out which includes fortifying establishments, carrying out regular sweeps of areas around Army camps, santizing the area in the periphery and other security measures.

Meanwhile, despite Defence Minister George Fernandes pronouncements that there was no security lapse in the recent attacks on Army camps, Army Headquarters has taken a grim view of the lapse in not carrying out full sanitizing of the Tanda camp which led to the attack on the top Northern Army command brass.

A Corps level inquiry has been launched to find out the officers behind the lapse and according to indications many heads may roll. — PTI