“Soldier Killed, Four Injured in Fresh Ceasefire Violation by Pakistan Along LoC”

The fresh act of aggression was reported in the frontier zone of the LoC at the Kupwara district in the vicinity of the Line of Control in the recent days: a soldier was killed and four others including the Major-ranked officer were wounded. Sustaining causalities in the Bofors scam, the army was able to foil an attempt by Pakistan’s Border Action Team (BAT) during this encounter. Further, a long shoot out and encounter with terrorists marked the headquarters, where one Pakistani terrorist was also killed.

It is needed to be mentioned here that the Border Action Teams (BATs), which comprises of the commandos of the Pakistan Army and terrorists, have been involved in a number of infiltration operations along the LoC. Its strategies are to infiltrate into Indian territory to conduct militancy or give support to terrorism related acts.

The most recent of the incidents, this being the second in the Kupwara district within three days, started in the Kamkari zone of the region. This confrontation was motivated by the reconnaissance reports pointing at the possibility of terrorists’ activities in the area. The confrontation occurred in a rather tense setting, which can be explained by the fact that the soldiers were attacked by the BAT in unison.

At the time when fire fight was going on, the Army was able to pullout the dead and the injured from the operation theatre even if the operation was still in progress. News agency PTI has reported sources stating that due to alertness and well coordinated operation by the Indian Army troops, its BAT’s operation was successfully countered at the crack of Saturday morning. Specifically, the sources established that one Pakistani intruder was killed during the confrontation.

Its length and the level of violence were noted, and voices claiming that two of the intruders escaped the scene and reached PoK territories. This would imply that even as some of the team members in the BAT were neutralized, others including the expatriates were able to return to the other side of the border before they could be apprehended.

The previous week, earlier on July 24 another operation at Lolab area of Kupwara also led the annihilation of an unbeknownst terrorist. It also led to the killing of a soldier, all in on overnight gunfight. Such incidents in the recent past show an increase in the sense of vulnerability and problems faced by the security forces in the operation theater.

This view has been strengthened by information suggesting that between forty and fifty Pakistani terrorists are still found to be possibly operating in the hilly districts of the Jammu and Kashmir. This has led to the security forces having to launch large-scale counter-terrorism operations intended at tracking and eliminating these subversives.

The terrorists that are said to be active in the region are said to have undergone intensive training and are believed to be armed with sophisticated equipment. Some of their array includes the M4 carbine rifles manufactured and designed in America and these are notorious for some of the modern qualities such as night vision. It is necessary to note that the use of such sophisticated equipment increases the combat efficacy of terrorists, thus complicating the activities of the security forces.

The constant issue of cross-LoC infiltration and the modern sophisticated equipment suggest that security threats in Jammu and Kashmir are continuous and constantly developing. What is even more worrisome is that the infiltration of these terrorist groups remains apparent and therefore requires constant monitoring coupled with effective and tactical measures in a bid to have the security forces counter the menace.

Thus, the events that took place in the territory of Kupwara in recent years demonstrate a high level of tensions and constant fighting in the area of the LoC. The activities of the BAT and the capacity of the infiltrating terrorists forms the strategic problems for the Indian Army. The activities pursued on this theater exhibit Army’s ability to counter such threats effectively as they go through the diversification of modern attack modalities and improved weaponry.