Army rushes in more troops to J&K as search for ultras widens

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, July 19

The Army is bolstering its troop strength in Jammu Division to tackle the threat of terrorists active in the area. As an immediate response to the recent terror attacks, some elements of the 26 Infantry Division have been moved to the Doda area where a search operation is underway in the Desa forest, sources say.

The Western Command, headquartered at Chandimandir, has its 26 Infantry Division deployed in the area between Kathua and the south bank of the Chenab, a stretch of some 130 km that is riverine and mountainous.

The elements of the 26 Infantry Division that have been moved to Doda will be replaced by Western Command units from elsewhere. The command has three corps — 2 Strike Corps Ambala, 11 Corps Jalandhar and 9 Corps Yol, near Palampur.

The 26 Infantry Division, under the 9 Corps, is tasked with protecting the National Highway. The 198 km of International Border J&K shares with Pakistan, lies in the Jammu division. It is manned by the Border Security Force (BSF).

The sources say the Army needs additional numbers as terrorists are hiding in caves in dense forests. The arc of the search operations has to widen. The Army is certain that terrorists are trained in survival tactics, ambushing and targeting. The tactics to hide in forests is typical of trained soldiers who can survive for days without any contact with the outside world, they say.

The terrain in the Jammu region is riverine and the boundary with Pakistan has many rivulets that remain in spate during the monsoon, allowing terrorists an opportunity to infiltrate into the Indian side. At a security meeting in Kathua last Thursday, the gaps caused by the rivers were discussed. The meeting was attended by J&K DGP RR Swain, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav and Special Director General, BSF, Western Command, YB Khurania.