NEW DELHI: With increasing incidents of violence in Jammu and Kashmir, the Army apprehends that violence levels will rise in the coming days starting with last Friday of holy month of Ramzaan on June 23. Army expects that the militants will go all out after Eid on June 26 upping the ante on July 8 in an effort to observe the first death anniversary of Hizbul Mujahideeen commander Burhan Wani last year. Wani was killed by security forces last year leading to violent protests for more than five months.
In view of the first anniversary of killing of Wani, Army has deployed additional 3,000 soldiers along the National Highway-44 in Kashmir valley to prevent attacks on convoys of security forces.
In order to prevent any terror strike, the additional three battalions (one battalion has 1,000 soldiers) will also fan out the interior areas along the Highway passing through restive South Kashmir to deter militants from dominating the interior roads and hamlets for launching attacks on security forces.
Sources claim that security forces are taking these measures in the backdrop of more than 280 militants, hiding in parts of Kashmir valley, waiting to escalate violence in the Kashmir valley after Eid.
Moreover, security forces maintained that the Pakistan-backed militants this year have a shortened window to infiltrate into Kashmir from across the Line of Control (LOC) unlike last year, as poor snowfall in the higher reaches enabled the terrorists to sneak in last year from January onwards but this year the ingress routes remained snow bound till mid May.
“We have specific inputs that nearly 250 militants now waiting in the launch pads in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir(POK) across the LOC can get in only till September end as the snow will again block the infiltration routes in North Kashmir,’ said an officer.
In a bid to strengthen counter-infiltration grid, additional battalion is already deployed along the LOC in infiltration prone North Kashmir besides three battalions in the hinterland.