Foiled 11 Infiltration bids last month, says BSF

Jammu, Feb 1 (IANS) Alert troopers of the Border Security Force (BSF) last month foiled 11 infiltration bids by militants along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir, a senior BSF official said.

"Eight infiltration bids were made by militants during the last 15 days, while they made a total of 11 such attempts in the month of January, to sneak into our side of the international border...” the official told IANS in Jammu.

"All those infiltration bids were foiled by our troops. The groups mostly consisted of six to eight heavily armed militants belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT),” the official revealed.

He added: "During the latest Pakistani shelling in Arnia and R.S. Pura sectors, such desperate attempts were also made by the militants."

The official also revealed that according to intelligence reports, such attempts were likely to be made during the next few days as well.

"We are fully prepared to give them (militants) a hot reception and foil any such intrusion bid", he said.

Confirming that the main objective of firing by the Pakistan Rangers has been to facilitate intrusion by militants along the international border, the officer said that there were 21 ceasefire violations by the Pakistan Rangers in the three districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua during January this year.

Indiscriminate firing and mortar shelling by the Pakistan Rangers last month resulted in the death of two BSF troopers and a civilian, while a dozen civilians were injured.

"Public and private property was also damaged at many places along the border, because of shelling from across (the border) in January 2015", the official added.