Srinagar, Dec 01 (KNO): The Border Security Force (BSF) on Monday said infiltration attempts along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Kashmir Frontier declined this year, with only four attempts reported so far. Of these, two attempts were made before the Operation Sindoor and two after it.
Addressing a press conference at the Humhama Headquarters on the occasion of the 61st Foundation Day of BSF, Inspector General (IG) Kashmir Frontier Ashok Yadav, per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), 13 infiltrators were involved in these infiltrations, of whom eight were neutralised by the Army and five were pushed back.
He said that effective domination along the LoC in coordination with the Army contributed to the reduced number of attempts. "Four infiltration attempts were neutralised during his tenure in joint operations by the Army and BSF".
On being asked about how many operations were based purely on BSF intelligence inputs, he said the it continues to share "a significant number" of intelligence inputs that result in counter-terrorism actions, including neutralisation and recovery of war-like stores.
He said there has been no major change in the modus operandi of infiltration, except for the adoption of new routes. "the BSF's G-branch intelligence setup has been generating regular inputs that are followed up jointly with the Army to counter infiltration attempts".
On the emergence of "white-collar" terror module involving educated youths without any prior record, the IG said the trend is a growing concern and poses challenges in identification. "All security and intelligence agencies are working jointly to counter such networks and establish mechanisms to detect silent recruitment".
He said BSF has 13 companies deployed in the hinterland to support the Jammu and Kashmir Police. "Operations in the hinterland are conducted jointly with all security agencies, including monitoring of radicalisation hotspots and institutions flagged by BSF intelligence".
Responding to a question on launching pads across the LoC, Yadav said intelligence inputs indicate that some launching pads have been shifted deeper to avoid being within the firing range of Indian security forces following the damage inflicted during Operation Sindoor.
He said the operation has not been paused and the force remains prepared to respond to any misadventure from across the border.
The IG said narco-terrorism remains a major concern, with attempts to push narcotics through LoC sectors such as Tangdar, both for financing terrorism and for addiction-driven destabilisation.
On drone activity, Yadav said drones have been observed across the LoC but have largely been restricted to aerial reconnaissance and surveillance and have not crossed the border in recent months—(KNO)