Massive operation launched in north Kashmir woods

Srinagar: Security forces have launched massive operations in the woods in the north Kashmir districts since past four days following information about the presence of militants, who had reportedly infiltrated from Pakistan-occupied- Kashmir (PoK).
The GOC 15 Corps, Lt General S A Hasnain has already warned of infiltration bids during the next few months as desperate attempts were being made to send as many militants into Kashmir as possible from across the Line of Control (LoC) before the onset of winter when the routes gets blocked due to snowfall.
A defence ministry spokesman Lt Colonel J S Brar said troops guarding the LoC and deployed within the five km border belt are conducting almost daily operations in their area of operations to make sure that no militant infiltrates into this side.
However, even if any militant succeeds to infiltrate he is arrested or neutralised within the border belt.
Lt Gen Hasnain, who succeeded in establishing a direct contact with the people, meeting and listening them more often, said the next two months would be a great challenge for the troops.
He said after the killing of more than a dozen top commanders of different outfits, people sitting across the border are desperate to push trained militant into this side to infuse a new lease of life in the militancy which is on decline.
It was because of this, a number of infiltration attempts were made recently. However he said, alert troops scuttled these attempts and killed 12 in Gurez sector last week.
Lt Col Brar said a massive hunt has been launched to nab the militants, who managed to escape from a Handwara forest, where one woman was killed in the cross firing yesterday.
The troops stopped firing as there were many civilians and their live stock in the firing area, he said.
But, he said, massive searches had been launched in the vast forest area. However, so far no contact has been made, he said adding similar operations are also on in the woods near the LoC in Bandiproa and Kupwara.
He said night and foot patrolling all along the LoC has already been intensified as a large number of militants are waiting in the launch pads in POK to infiltrate into this side.
He said the militants killed during recent encounters were all foreigners, belonging to Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad.