Troops on alert to thwart infiltration

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Baraf post (Tangdhar), May 3

From this tiny post in the Shamasbari forest range, located atop a mountain and surrounded by dense snow-clad forests, the troops are keeping a close watch and not missing the slightest movement.

As the snow has started melting after a long winter, this is the time when militants try to cross over to this side of the Line of Control (LoC).

The Baraf post, which falls in the Tangdhar sector of north Kashmir, is manned by troops of the Kupwara-based 28 Mountain Division, also responsible for guarding nearly 250 km of the LoC running from Gurez in Bandipora district to Kupwara.

It is these points along the 704-km-long LoC beyond which lies the hostile territory. These points act as the first barrier in the elaborate counter-insurgency grid to fight the two and a half decades of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.

Over the years, it has been a hide-and-seek game here between the infiltrators and the troops.

Located at an altitude of 10,200 feet, the Shamasbari range is critical for the militants infiltrating through the Tangdhar sector, where nearly 65 km of the LoC passes through lofty peaks, rugged mountains, thick forests and fresh water streams.

“A few forward posts are still under 15 feet of snow and remain inaccessible for nearly six months during the winter,” said an Army officer in Kupwara.

“But the guard is never lowered and the troops maintain round-the-clock vigil even during the winter when there is around 25 to 30 feet of snow and the temperature goes down to - 25°C.”

The officer added that an effective counter-infiltration grid was in place, which was a blend of modern technology, human intelligence and resource.

Apart from troops on the ground, there is the LoC fence, also known as the anti-insurgency obstacle system, which forms an important aspect of countering infiltration. The Army also uses sophisticated equipment such as UAVs, thermal sensing cameras, high-power cameras and long-range observation system, which are installed near the LoC to thwart infiltration.

Despite a well-organised counter-infiltration grid, the militants manage to sneak in.

However, over the years, infiltration has declined. The Army maintains that it is impossible to stop infiltration due to the tough terrain.

“On the LoC, everything, including the weather, is an enemy. Despite so much surveillance, zero infiltration is not possible,” said an Army officer posted in Tangdhar.

Commanding Officer of the 20 Rashtriya Rifles Col MB Singh, whose troops are manning nearly 18 sq km in the Shamasbari range, said the armed infiltrators always try to avoid engaging troops.

“Their (militants) first priority always remains to enter the Valley and avoid us,” said Colonel MB Singh.

Four battalions of the Army guard the LoC in the Tangdhar sector, which last year witnessed three gunfights between militants and troops. There are troops who are kept in reserves to take on infiltrators.

“We killed 11 militants last year in the sector,” said an officer of the 104 Infantry Brigade, responsible for guarding the LoC in the Tangdhar sector, a bowl-shaped valley inhabited by nearly 60,000 people.

The area had witnessed a devastating earthquake in 2005, leaving 311 dead and 1,800 injured. Houses, infrastructure and roads were damaged by the quake.

“We are getting a lot of support from locals in Tangdhar. Last year, locals gave us inputs about militant movement,” said  the officer of the 104 Infantry Brigade.

For the soldiers posted along the LoC, it is a tough job. Often affected by frostbites and chilblains in extreme cold weather conditions, the troops bear it all to thwart any infiltration move by militants.

A soldier’s tenure at a forward post lasts two years.

Of late, most of the infiltration attempts have been made through the Kupwara sector.

Last year, nearly 100 militants were killed along the LoC, a majority of them in Kupwara, close to the LoC.