Last week, the Jammu and Kashmir police received an intelligence alert about specific attempts being made by the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit to push in terrorists from the international border. The inputs were specific to the IB and the Kathua-Samba sector was alerted. A week later, four to five terrorists belonging to the JeM are suspected to have infiltrated from the international border in Hiranagar sector in Kathua district of Jammu. In the wee hours on Friday, three of them were neutralised .
Infiltration attempts along the IB have picked up steam since August 2019, after the abrogation of Article 370 that gave special status to JK. Intelligence sources said out of the 130 odd successful infiltration bids made last year, at least half of them took place in August and September.
The peak of infiltration witnessed in these two months was followed by a gradual decline starting October and subsequently the winter months saw less infiltration.
Meanwhile given the heightened tensions on the border and attempts by terror groups to fish in troubled waters in Jammu and Kashmir post abrogation of Article 370, the counter terror operations by security forces saw the killing of more than 30 terrorists, security sources said.
But despite the active operations being carried out by security forces to nab terrorists or neutralise them, infiltration attempts being made under the cover of firing by Pakistan Rangers on the border is continuing unabated. Sources said concerted attempts have been made by terror groups to infiltrate terrorists in the valley to create unrest and carry out terror strikes.
The latest worry of security agencies is that terrorist activity will increase during the summer months. The latest infiltration is being seen as a part of the attempt by Pakistan based terror groups to use the summer months to carry out major terror strikes and stoke unrest in the valley .
On Friday, the unidentified terrorists were travelling in a truck when they were stopped by security forces at a toll plaza on Jammu-Srinagar national highway. Three militants were killed in the ensuing encounter. Two other terrorists are suspected to have fled and combing operations are going on to neutralise them.
