Jammu, March 4 (IANS) The Indian Army opened fire on Wednesday after noticing suspicious movement along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district.

Officials said around 4.30 a.m. this morning, the soldiers guarding the LoC observed some persons trying to sneak across the fence.

“Subsequently, the Army opened fire towards the suspected spot, thwarting a possible infiltration bid. Reinforcement has been rushed to the spot, and a search operation has been started in the area,” officials said.

More details are awaited.

Recently, the Army on February 19 foiled an infiltration attempt along the LoC in the Sunderbani area of Rajouri district. The Army had said that suspicious movement of terrorists was detected, and alert troops of the White Knight Corps responded with swift and calibrated fire, successfully foiling the infiltration attempt.

Jammu and Kashmir has 740-Km long LoC situated in Baramulla, Kupwara, and Bandipora districts of Kashmir and in Poonch, Rajouri, and partly in Jammu district of Jammu division.

In addition, there is 240-Km long international border situated in Jammu, Samba, and Kathua districts of Jammu division.

The LoC is guarded by the Army while the Border Security Force (BSF) guards the international border.

The Army and BSF are deployed on the border in the union territory to prevent infiltration, exfiltration, cross-border smuggling, and to stop drone activities initiated from the Pakistani side of the border.

Drones have been used in the past by terror outfits with the help of Pakistani forces to drop consignments of arms/ammunition, cash, and drugs for the terrorists to sustain terrorism in the union territory.

The J&K Police and the security forces carry out aggressive anti-terrorist operations in the hinterland against terrorists, their overground workers (OGWs), and sympathisers. The coordinated action is aimed at dismantling the complete support system of terror rather than going after just the gun-wielding terrorists.

Drug smugglers, drug peddlers, and those involved in hawala money rackets have also been on the radar of the security forces. It is believed that funds generated through these illegal financial activities are finally used to sustain terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

–IANS

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