With onset of winters, BSF ADG reviews security at Jammu border

Border Security Force’s (BSF) western command Additional Director General Satish S Khandare on Wednesday reviewed the security scenario along the 198-km long Indo-Pak International Border in Jammu sector, officials said on Wednesday.
“ADG BSF (western command) visited border areas in Jammu and was briefed on the operational aspects by the field commanders,” BSF Jammu posted on X.
With the onset of winter when mountain passes south of Pir Panjal get blocked by heavy snowfall, Pakistan-based terrorists shift their focus to the international border, largely in the plains of Jammu, to attempt infiltration from traditional routes. Hiranagar and Samba sub sectors remained the most preferred route of infiltration for the Pak terrorists. Notably, terrorists from Pakistan have used trans-border tunnels to enter the Jammu region in the recent past.
BSF’s Jammu Frontier Inspector General DK Boora and other senior officers received Khandare and accompanied him during his visit to the border areas in the Jammu sector.
“The BSF is on a high alert along the border to ensure zero infiltration of terrorists and smuggling of weapons and narcotics from across the border,” officials said, adding that the Western Command ADG chaired a high-level meeting at the BSF headquarters and was briefed on the operational aspects by the field commanders.
To preempt any such move, the BSF and Jammu and Kashmir Police regularly conduct anti-tunneling drives along the border with the help of technology and manual techniques.
Pak Rangers provide covert support to dig such tunnels into Indian territory. “During winters terrorists take advantage of foggy weather conditions to sneak inside Indian territory,” officials said.
The BSF has also been maintaining a hawk’s eye in the skies to thwart Pakistan drones with the help of technology and innovative weapon systems, officials said.
Notably, a group of Pakistan-based terrorists had infiltrated from the border and later ambushed an army convoy in Badnota village of Kathua district on July 8 this year, killing five soldiers including a JCO.
Subsequently, Jammu and Kashmir Police had arrested two terror operatives of Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit, who had provided food and hotspot connection to the terrorists responsible for the July 8 ambush.
They were identified as Layaqat Ali alias Pawu of ward number 7, Kalna Dhanu Parole in Billawar tehsil and Mool Raj alias Jenju, of Bowli Mohalla in Malhar tehsil, Kathua.
The army strongly suspect that Jammu region has a presence of 50 to 60 hardcore foreign terrorists that might be including some former Pak army regulars from Special Service Group in the hilly districts Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Kishtwar Kathua, Reasi and Udhampur.
On October 25, the Northern Army Command chief Lieutenant General MV Suchindra Kumar said almost 720 terrorists have been eliminated in the past five years in Jammu and Kashmir and the figures of residual terrorists stood around 130.
Following a spike in terror attacks, the army had deployed over 4,000 soldiers, including 500 elite para commandos to eliminate these terrorists. This year saw terrorism spilling over to districts of Doda, Kishtwar Kathua, Reasi and Udhampur from Rajouri and Poonch districts.