Captured 3 Indian posts in Keran sector last month
No infiltration but war with 'enemy' troops
Indian army launched small scale war, used helicopter gunships
Occupied posts retrieved after days of intense fight
Srinagar, Oct 1: On September 23 when army claimed that they foiled major infiltration bids on Line of Control in Keran sector in border district of Kupwara, the troops were actually engaged in a 'small scale war' with Pakistan army, which had reportedly captured three sensitive posts of India at Lasdutt forests along the LoC.
The posts were allegedly captured by Pakistan army owing to negligence of army's 3/3 GR unit negligence.
"Three posts which are one kilometer close to no man's land in Keran sector under jurisdiction of police station Trehgam at Lasdutt forest near Jumgand, Shalbathe were negligently vacated by Indian army a week or so earlier. Owing to dense forests and typical topography, the posts remained unmonitored all these days, and Pakistani soldiers occupied them," the report submitted by one intelligence agency reveals.
The inputs and reports submitted by various security agencies suggest that on intervening night of September 22/23, army men noticed suspicious movement of around 20-30 men in posts around Lasdutt forests and sounded alert within the grid.
While all security and intelligence agencies are bound to share inputs and ideas regarding counter intelligence operations in Valley, highly placed sources said prior to launching an operation to recapture the lost posts, army issued strict directions to its officials and other concerned agencies to suspend their communication with all Non Civilian Authorities (NCA) in the Valley to avoid criticism and embarrassment.
However, anticipating that combat operation could prolong and spread in other areas, army tried to present it as anti-infiltration operation. It claimed to have killed a dreaded militant in neighboring Machil sector on the intervening night of September 22/23. The deceased later turned out to be 70-years-old man. "Army's intention was to keep ground open for fight in other neighboring sectors to give an impression that troops were combating infiltrating militants without letting media know the reality," sources said.
After handing over body of 'dreaded militant' (70-year-old man) to Police Station Kupwara, Army lodged an FIR No 237 under Section 507 on September 25 and claimed that the militant was killed and an army man injured in the firefight in Machil sector. However, police grew suspicious and refused to accept the body. It was only after the insistence of Army officials that police accepted the body.
Subsequently, army lodged a second FIR under section 241 on September 29 in Police Station Kupwara. This time army claimed to have recovered huge cache of arms and ammunition from the encounter spot, where 70-year-old militant was killed.
Rising Kashmir had on September 27 reported that a dreaded infiltrating militant killed by army in Machil sector had turned out to be 70-years-old man.
Sources said Army's 268 Mountain Brigade launched an all out operation to reclaim the captured posts from Pakistan army. Army also mobilized troops from other areas to assist Mountain brigade in reclaiming the lost posts.
The 268 mountain Brigade, which was leading the ground battle, had on September 25 lodged an FIR in Police station Trehgam under Section 241 stating that a search operation was launched after detecting suspected movement of militants.
"In the first assault, army men had to retreat after Pakistani troops fired heavily on them. The dense forests also proved advantageous to Pakistani soldiers as it provided adequate cover to them. Army called in para-troops and helicopter gunships to retrieve the lost posts," sources said.
They said after aggressive response by Pakistani soldiers numbering around 30, additional troops were rushed in and helicopter gunship made repeated attempts to push them back. "The 'evacuation mission' by paratroops also failed to serve the purpose due to which army launched massive ground assault to reclaim their lost positions".
The helicopter gunships, according to sources, were flying only between Kupwara and Panzgam helipads for the purpose of surveillance and maintain psychological pressure on Pakistan army, which relentlessly aimed to target the choppers.
"The Pakistan army didn't allow choppers to reach near the posts captured by them and targetted them repeatedly with heavy weapons. Later, army didn't use choppers fearing that any crash would bring the issue into limelight and bring facts before media," sources said.
They said after two days of continuous fierce gun battle, army eventually retrieved their posts from Pakistan army and concluded the operation.
"Army has claimed that they have killed 12 to 15 militants after foiling major infiltration bids in Keran sector on intervening night of September 24/25. However, not a single body was found on Line of Control or in no man's land. We believe the gunfight was not meant to flush out infiltrating militants but was aimed at retrieving posts of 3/3 GR captured by Pakistan army," one of the intelligence agency has reported.
Sources said army played a very clever and mature role to avoid any leakage to the media regarding the gunfight with Pakistan army men in Kupwara forest, which could have exposed its negligence.
"As the confrontation was on large scale in the strategically sensitive area, the news story of trapping 30 militants by army while foiling infiltration attempt in Keran sector was deliberately leaked to a particular news agency to avoid media attention from reality," they said.
Rising Kashmir has got an access to sensitive inputs and reports submitted by various security and intelligence agencies, which suggest that not a single evidence is favouring army's claim of killing fifteen militants by foiling infiltration attempts in Keran sector.
Army officials gave media bytes to news channels separately to divert focus from the main issue and keep mediamen engaged about foiling of "infiltration attempts" and gunfight with militants.
GoC of Srinagar-based 15 Corps Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh addressed media persons recently and informed them that a major infiltration was foiled in Keran sector. "A group of 30 militants has been trapped and about 12-15 infiltrating militants were killed," he had said.
India and Pakistani troops fought Kargil war in 1999 after Pakistani soldiers and militants had occupied heights and posts in Kargil in May. Later, Pakistani forces withdrew from the heights after international pressure.
Pak army repeats Kargil in Keran
