Indian Army chief MM Naravane in J&K, reviews preparedness along LoC

Amid an increase in counter-terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in which joint security forces gunned down militants in multiple encounters over the past several weeks, the Indian Army chief General MM Naravane visited the forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Jammu region on Tuesday. During his visit, the Army chief was briefed on the ground situation in the region and about the ongoing counter-infiltration operations, according to officials.

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“General MM Naravane, COAS, visited forward areas of the White Knight Corps and undertook a first-hand assessment of the situation along the Line of Control,” posted the additional directorate general of public information (ADGPI) of the Indian Army, from its official handle on Twitter. “The COAS was briefed by commanders on the ground about the present situation and ongoing counter-infiltration operations.”

Indian Army chief General MM Naravane is on a two-day visit to Jammu. On Tuesday, he visited the forward areas of the White Knight Corps and undertook a first-hand assessment of the situation along the LoC. The visit comes at a time when there has been a slew of selective killing of minorities in the Kashmir valley; eleven civilians have been killed by militants in the valley this month.

According to South Block, as many as nine to 10 LeT terrorists infiltrated from Pakistan towards the jungles between Rajouri-Poonch district borders in the past two to three months. The terrorists from Pakistan are believed to have been buoyed with their recent exploits in Afghanistan, and Indian intelligence sources anticipated the potential offensive by the Pakistani terror forces. On Monday, the Indian Army gunned down six terrorists belonging to Pakistan-based Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) in an encounter in the Rajouri sector, while efforts by the 16 Corps troops are reportedly on to neutralise the remaining three to four Islamic jihadists.