Day 14 of Keran sector operation: para-shooters deployed by army

The gunfight along the LoC between the Indian army and Pakistani militants, which has been ongoing since late September 23, might come to an end soon with the Indian army preparing for its final assault. The army, according to sources, has deployed para-shooters days back to combat the militants who are hiding in the dense forests of Keran sector, situated around 150 kilometres away from Srinagar. [caption id=“attachment_1155835” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. PTI[/caption] Now on its thirteenth day, the conflict began when a round 35 infiltrators, including some reportedly dressed as Pakistani Special Forces, descended from the Biswal and Ahithana posts on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control, and allegedly occupied two Indian posts, Khukri and Kullar, in the vicinity of Shala Bhata. The army, according to official sources, had vacated the posts a week earlier amid a change of guard. When the army spotted movement inside the vacated bunkers, a gun-battle began. The para-troopers had cordoned off the area from all sides, so as to block supplies to the militants. The militants had, according to media reports, earlier managed to retrieve the dead bodies of militants, who were killed in the first “contact” in the initial days of the gunfight. On Sunday, Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra, GOC, Northern Command, along with Lieutenant-General Gurmeet Singh, the XV Corps commander, visited the forward posts, and took stock of the ground situation via helicopters. Subsequently they held meetings with the senior army officers in the frontier district at Army’s 28 Infantry Division and discussed various issues including the recent intrusion by Pakistani militants. Sources say the possibility of militants using telephone landlines, as well as making contact with other side also featured among the topics discussed during the meeting. The security agencies are apprehensive that militants might have dumped a large amount of arms and ammunition besides some food essentials to survive for long. Sources says that out of fear of alerting the army troops, the militants have not been able move from their locations in Shala Bhata and Naranad forests. On Sunday, the army deployed elite commandos for the final push. According to sources, the first priority for army would be to break the supply chain of the intruders, and then flush out them from Shala Bhata on LoC. A security official said that their biggest worry is the supply chain. The first priority would be to cut the supply chain, as then it would be easy to eliminate the hiding militants. “For that reason, these commandos will come in handy. They will choke them to a point where we will be able to knock them off,” said an officer. The Para battalion deployed are backed by the brigade-size troops. The Shala Bhatta village extends to the other side of the LoC. The other side of the village is dotted with Pakistani army posts overlooking the Indian side. The militants, who are hiding in the Indian side, are have been holding up in the area from last 13 days in dense forests. The militants, according to sources, are well trained and are using Global Positioning System (GPS) to monitor the situation. The Indian army had earlier claimed to have killed at least 12 -15 unidentified militants in a 10-day long gun-battle. “General Officer Commanding in Chief, Northern Command, Lt Gen Sanjiv  Chachra and General Officer Commanding of the 15 Corps Lt Gen Gurmit  Singh have visited the area to review the situation on ground,”  Officiating Brigadier General Staff (BGS) Colonel Sanjay Mitra told  reporters here. He said the high-level of professionalism displayed by the troops in carrying out the operation under extremely  challenging weather and terrain conditions was highly appreciated by  the army commanders. Later, Lt Gen Chachra called on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.