In a bid to strengthen the security grid in the Jammu region where Pakistani terrorists have heightened their attacks at security forces, the central government has decided to move two battalions of Assam Rifles here from the trouble torn Manipur.

About 2000 additional BSF personnel and 3000 Army troops have already been inducted in the Jammu region for counter-terrorist operations.

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The decision to airlift two battalions of Assam Rifles here was taken by the Home Ministry following the spurt in terror activities in the Kathua, Doda, Udhampur, Rajouri and Reasi districts of the Jammu region that were declared terrorism-free nearly 20 years ago.

There were reports that around 50 Pakistani terrorists trained in guerilla and jungle warfare have infiltrated and were hiding in different parts of the region to further escalate terror activities on the directions of their handlers sitting across the Line of Control (LOC).

Ten soldiers and a CRPF jawan lost their lives last month in ambushes by terrorists.

Five troopers were killed in an ambush in the hinterland of the Kathua district and four more soldiers, including a Captain, laid their lives within the next few hours in the neighbouring area of the Doda district.

There were reports that serving and retired soldiers of the Pakistani Army trained in jungle warfare have also infiltrated with terrorists who had returned after fighting the US Army in Afghanistan. These war hardened terrorists were carrying arms and ammunition, including the M-4 rifles, which the US Army left behind while quitting Afghanistan.

Several M-4 rifles have been recovered from slain terrorists.

Taking advantage of a large chunk of the Indian Army having moved from the peaceful Jammu region to Ladakh after the Indo-Chinese skirmishes in 2020, Pakistani agencies have again started pushing terrorists through the LOC and international border (IB) in the Jammu areas.

Most of the infiltration was through the LOC in Rajouri and Poonch districts and the IB touching the Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts.

Induction of additional troops and paramilitary forces was aimed at plugging the loopholes on the borders. Two battalions of CRPF will replace the Assam Rifles in Manipur, reports said.

The Home Ministry had a few days ago airlifted about 2000 jawans of BSF here from Odisha to strengthen security along the IB with Pakistan.

Pakistani terrorists were also infiltrating through the IB in Punjab and then moving into J&K taking the traditional jungle routes.

The White Knight Corps of the Indian Army that guards the LOC in the Jammu region and also the hinterland, recently busted several terrorist natural hideouts and recovered caches of arms, ammunition and explosives.

The J&K Police and its special operations group (SOG) have launched an operation against the over ground workers (OGWs) of terror outfits and detained many of them for providing logistics to infiltrating terrorists.

The SOG has reportedly deployed local personnel for counter-infiltration duty in tough areas as they were versed with the terrain along the LOC.