BackAvalanches block Kashmir infiltration routes
While militancy and infiltration attempts are at their highest between July and October, the winter months from November to April see a drop in activity
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New Delhi: As much as avalanches in Kashmir near the Line of Control (LoC) have wreaked havoc over the last month, they have also sealed off routes used by militants from Pakistan to cross over to India, security officials in Jammu and Kashmir said.
They said snow cover was a dead giveaway, exposing militants to the security forces guarding the LoC and the International Border (IB). While militancy and infiltration attempts are at their highest between July and October, the winter months from November to April see a drop in activity, security officials added.
Even as militants use the hills connecting Pakistan with Bandipore, Baramulla, Ganderbal and Srinagar, it is the ravines between the hills, security officials said, that are notorious for movement of militants—routes that have been sealed for now because of the avalanches.
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Since the ravines and nullahs in the region can easily be cleared of snow, the risks of getting caught by the Indian Army or paramilitaries are far too high.
“The militants do not risk infiltrating in the winter. Once snow falls, visibility goes up and their cover is blown. So it is easy to be spotted. They don’t even access the ravines because crossing from one hill to another is a huge risk to take. If an ice block breaks off on one hill, it can trigger a series of avalanches, which the militants don’t risk," said a senior Border Security Force (BSF) official from Kashmir, on condition of anonymity.
The common thread linking recent terror attacks at Pathankot, Uri and Nagrota was the lack of lighting in the forest areas—a factor that militants take advantage of when infiltrating into Indian territory. While the terrain in these regions is inhospitable, both in the summer and winter, the militants were aided by guides from Kashmir, security forces said.
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BSF officials stationed in Kashmir added that while there is little to no infiltration in the winter months, the recent spate of attacks along the LoC in Kashmir have been carried out by militants who had come in during the summer and stayed on.
“Each group of militants has a local guide—mostly young boys—from the Indian side in Kashmir. Though these boys don’t directly fight for these militant groups, they are paid to do the reconnaissance and assist the militants through the terrain. Ambushes are set up for these groups at various points, by the BSF and the army, whenever we get a tip-off about their movement," the BSF official added.
“The vegetation and the terrain in Kashmir are a huge natural guard for militants. Even if they don’t use the hills, there are routes from the southern side through Naoshera and Rajouri, which they use. The vegetation and the forest cover allow them to camouflage and sneak in," said a senior army official from the Northern Command, requesting anonymity.
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