Defence Minister tours border district of Rajouri in Jammu, praises their role
TAKING STOCK: Defence Minister A.K. Antony being briefed by Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor about the fencing at the forward area in Rajouri district of Jammu on Monday.SRINAGAR: Defence Minister A.K. Antony on Tuesday impressed upon the troops to continue their vigil along the borders by maintaining a high degree of operational preparedness to meet any eventuality in future.
During his one-day tour of the border district of Rajouri in Jammu division, Mr. Antony lauded the role of the Army in curbing infiltration and reducing the levels of insurgency. “Army’s vigilance and proactive stance had ensured incident-free elections in the State which has been appreciated by one and all,” he told the troops expressing full satisfaction with the armed forces. He also appreciated their exceptional role in restoring normality in the region.
‘Operation Sadbhavana’
The Minister cited the projects under ‘Operation Sadbhavana’ by which the socio-economic conditions of the local populace had been uplifted in the insurgency-affected remote areas of the region.
Accompanied by Chief of Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor, Defence Secretary Vijay Singh, and General Officer Commanding, Northern Command, Lt. Gen. P.C. Bhardwaj, he was briefed about the situation in the forward areas.
Latest incursions
He was told about the latest incursions along the Line of Control (LoC) and the strategy to foil the attempts of militants and their mentors to sneak into this side. Mr. Antony complimented the forces on effectively dealing with the incursions in the Gurez and Kupwara sectors where 40 infiltrators were killed and the combing operation was on, the defence sources said.
The Minister later attended a ‘Sainik Bhoj’ where he personally interacted with all ranks of troops. He assured them that the government was committed to their welfare.
Ahead of the Minister’s visit, the Army achieved a major success by killing a top militant in the same area. Defence sources told The Hindu that Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Naib (deputy) divisional commander Abu Baber, a resident of Peshawar, was killed in a gunfight late Monday night.
Sources said that on the basis specific information, 37 Rashtriya Rifles along with the Special Operation Group of the local police cordoned off the Dharimal area in Saroti village 12 km from Mendher in Poonch district. One AK bullet action rifle, radio set and two magazines have been recovered from the slain militant commander.
Antony urges troops to continue vigil
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