NEW DELHI: An infiltration bid by about 30 terrorists trying to sneak into the Kashmir Valley on Monday has sent alarm bells ringing in the backdrop of Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, this newspaper has learnt from sources in the security establishment.
According to the Army, the terrorists tried to sneak in from across the LoC in Poonch sector. While one terrorist was killed and his body along with an AK-47 rifle recovered, search is on to trace the others.
Senior MHA officials pointed at an uptick of violence ever since Taliban captured Kabul on August 15.
Security agencies are seeing activity by some terror groups, including Jaish-e-Mohammad, that were lying low over the past few months. On August 21, security forces tracked down and killed a Jaish cadre.
Two days later, two commanders of TRF, a terror group considered to be an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Toiba, were killed in Srinagar.
These incidents gain importance after some reports about Jaish leaders meeting Taliban heads in Kandahar in the third week of August, in which they sought support in “India-centric operations”.
“We are on alert. Technical, human intelligence are up and a strict vigil is being maintained along the LoC to check infiltration,” said a senior officer, adding that recent reports about Kashmiri boys going “missing” is a concern, as many of them are suspected to have joined terror groups.
The ranks of Over Ground Workers are also believed to have swelled since August 15.
“We are trying to appeal to the missing boys through social media, their parents and friends to return. We are doing everything to ensure their peaceful re-integration,” the officer added.