Pak backs infiltration on two new fronts

SRINAGAR, MAY 22: Infiltrators have moved into two more areas close to the Line of Control LoC near Siachen Glacier, adding to the pitc...

SRINAGAR, MAY 22: Infiltrators have moved into two more areas close to the Line of Control LoC near Siachen Glacier, adding to the pitched battles in the Drass, Batalik ridge and Mushko Valley regions even as reports were today received about the killing of two Indian Army soldiers in an ambush on Wednesday.

Heavy movement of Pakistani troops is reported in the Chortbatla sector to back the fresh ingress.

Army officers now fear it may take more than a month to clear the Kargil area of the heavily-armed suicidal infiltrators perched on tactically-significant heights between 15,000-18,000 feet and suspected to be a mix of Pakistani Army regulars and Taliban militia.

The two new areas where infiltrators have come in are the Chorbatla sector, east of Batalik ridge and the Turtuk sector. 8220;The Chorbatla sector lies between Batalik region and Siachen Glacier. The other area of ingress is the Turtuk sector where the 200-km stretch of unheld territory on both sides of the LoC ends. Both Turtuk and Chorbatlalie adjacent to each other,8221; well-placed sources said.

Heavy forward movement of Pakistani troops in the Chorbatla sector has also set alarm bells ringing in security circles. 8220;The Pakistani troops are moving forward on the LoC and are close on the heels of the infiltrators, who are well within our territory. They seem to have consolidated their positions, having gone unnoticed for two weeks in the Turtuk sector,8221; an officer said.

The ingress into the two new areas came to light after two Indian soldiers of a 7-8 man patrol were ambushed and killed by the infiltrators in the Turtuk sector on May 19. Another Indian Army patrol had been ambushed earlier on May 6 but the Army had not thought it to be a case of infiltration then. 8220;The ambush had then been seen as a case of the patrol having strayed across to the Pakistani side and being fired upon by thePakistani positions,8221; field intelligence sources said. But the May 19 ambush well within Indian territory saw two soldiers dead and clearly establishedthe presence of infiltrators in new areas.

However, the Northern Command did not confirm infiltration into the Chorbtla and the Turtuk sectors. 8220;There were rumours that there is a build-up of infiltrators across the two sectors but the Army has not found any infiltrator inside the two sectors,8221; said PPS Bindera, who is Maj Gen General Staff at the Northern Command HQs at Udhampur.

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Asked about the deaths of the two soldiers on May 19, Bindera claimed they were killed in firing from across the LoC. However, while one of them has been found, the other is still missing, Bindera said.

But sources added that this was the version which had initially gained ground in the Army but reports today from the area pointed to the soldiers having been ambushed well within Indian territory.