Army steps up surveillance along LoC in Rajouri, Poonch

Rajouri/Jammu: In the wake of a string of terror attacks, the Indian Army, armed with advanced surveillance equipment and weapons, has intensified vigilance and patrolling in the dense forest areas of Jammu and Kashmir’s twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, officials said Seven attacks have occurred just in the past two weeks, resulting in 13 fatalities, including two soldiers.

Amidst these developments, the Indian Army is executing an aggressive area domination plan across Jammu and Kashmir.

As part of this strategy, Area Domination Patrols, speculative Cordon and Search Operations (CASOs), and intelligence-based operations are being conducted regularly to monitor terrorist movements along the LoC and in the hinterlands, the officials said.

They are backed up with drones, quadcopters, modern weapons and surveillance equipment to scan forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) and monitor any suspicious movement to neutralise any threat of cross-border infiltration.

In Rajouri and Poonch districts, Army’s Rashtriya Rifles troops are conducting regular and aggressive search operations, particularly in dense forest areas, despite challenging conditions, they said.

Army troops are closely monitoring all dense forest areas through both technical and manual means, especially in regions notorious for recent terror incidents, while forest patrolling has also been intensified, they added.

To stay prepared, the Indian Army is conducting special training sessions and firing practice camps for its personnel deployed in the hinterlands of Rajouri and Poonch.

A heightened state of security in the hinterlands across Jammu and Kashmir has emerged over the past few months following repeated terror strikes. An operation is currently on in the Akhnoor area of Jammu, where three terrorists have been killed.

In order to enhance the firing and operational skills of personnel on hinterland duties, the Indian Army is organising regular special training capsules, they stated.

These specialised firing practice sessions are held in dense forest areas, where Army teams conduct anti-terror operations and training simultaneously, they said.

During these sessions, Army personnel are trained to use both small arms, like pistols, and automatic weapons like AK rifles and firing at both static and moving targets.

Troops also receive ongoing training in Quick Action tactics following any terror-related incident which include utilising special bulletproof vehicles for rapid response.