NEW DELHI: The Army has finally taken up an aggressive position in the Kashmir Valley. With the increase in cross border firing instances, the Army has changed its tactic and has deployed 5,000 additional troops closer to the Line of Control in the 28 division area in Kupwara.
The troops are a part of the reserve force of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps of the Army and will now move to the strike brigades of the 28 division in Tangdhar, Keran, Macchal and Gurez along the Line of Control (LoC). With additional deployment of troops, more units of the Rashtriya Rifles are also expected to move to the sector to increase the number to nearly 30,000 troops.
Infiltration is a real cause of concern, not only for the Indian Army but also for the government, especially with the elections in the pipeline in the state. According to top Army officials, there are about 900 militants in the Valley out of which about a quarter are very active. In order to curb the growing infiltration, the deployment of additional troops is the need of the hour in a bid to guard the border.
