Surgical strikes affect on Pakistan, these launch pads are believed to be of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM). (PTI photo of BSF)
Pakistan, it seems, never learns! Despite the Indian Army conducting surgical strikes across the LoC and destroying multiple terror launch pads, more of them have sprung up. According to a report in ToI, the Indian Army’s military intelligence has spotted around 4 terror launch pads across the international border. These launch pads are believed to be of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM). The report added that the terror launch pads are less than 5 kilometers away from the Samba region border outposts.
The military intelligence report apparently states that armed men dressed in camouflage were dropped at the Nur-ul-Islam border outpost in Pakistan. The launch pads have reportedly been spotted at Looni, Sukhmal, Chapral and Masroor Bada Bhai. In the last few days, many civilians in J&K have been killed and injured due to heavy shelling from Pakistani forces. According to the BSF, Pakistan’s border guarding force is deliberately targeting civilian areas. The Pakistan Army is supporting the shelling of civilian areas and Indian posts, BSF has said.
“Pakistani forces are firing heavy mortars deliberately towards Indian civilian areas. BSF never fires towards any Pakistani civilian area. We fire only towards military bunkers from where Pakistani forces fire. We have inflicted heavy damage on 14 Pakistani bunkers,” Inspector General of BSF D K Upadhyay has said. The BSF has foiled 5 infiltration bids along IB in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district since October 20-21 night. Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said that the government will do “everything possible” to counter the shelling and do the needful to protect the honor of the country.
Tensions along the border have escalated since the Indian Army’s surgical strikes. Eight people, including two children and four women, were killed and 22 injured earlier this week as Pakistani troops targeted civilian areas. Pakistan’s hideous acts have invited strong retaliation by Indian forces who have killed two Pakistani soldiers and destroyed their 14 posts. A total of 18 people, including 12 civilians, have been killed and more than 80 suffered injuries in Pakistani shelling and firing along IB and LoC in Jammu since Indian Army carried out surgical strikes.