The attack on an Army truck in Poonch in Jammu that killed five soldiers highlights the continuing vulnerability of this border area in spite of tiers of security — the army at the Line of Control, the Rashtriya Rifles in areas proximate to the border and the police in the hinterland. The guns have been silent at the Line of Control for two years, in observance of a 20-year-old ceasefire to which both the Indian and Pakistani armies recommitted themselves in February 2021. But going by infiltration attempts that the Army claims to have foiled, this cross border activity that used to be a regular side story during ceasefire violations continues to take place even now.
In January, police held cross-border terrorists responsible for the atrocity perpetrated against civilians in Dangri village in the Rajouri district, a border district neighbouring Poonch. Six people were killed. Despite an extensive search of the area, the assailants were not caught. Thursday’s attack took place near the site of a 2021 ambush in which nine soldiers were killed. An intense search operation for over a month by security forces was not successful in locating the militants. In the 1990s phase of militancy, Poonch and Rajouri were seen as easy gateways for cross-border infiltrators. But for a good part of the last 20 years, the hostility of the local communities towards militants had ensured they did not linger there too long. The increasing number of incidents in the two borders have shown the ease with which these elements are able to remain untraced, even as they mingle in local communities for food and shelter. This change should worry those in charge of the UT’s security. Equally worrying are the drone deliveries of weapons in the border areas, as pointed out by India at the UN Security Council just last week.
