Gen Rawat in J&K, tells troops to be on toes to counter enemy
JAMMU : Army chief General Bipin Rawat exhorted army personnel to remain prepared to counter the “nefarious” designs of the enemy, on Friday.
General Rawat arrived in Jammu on Friday for a two-day visit of forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) where Indian and Pakistani troops have been engaged in skirmishes recently.
“The army chief landed at the technical airport around 10 am on Friday where he was received by Northern army commander Lt Gen Devraj Anbu, 16 Corps GOC Lt Gen AK Sharma and Tiger Division GOC Maj Gen SK Sharma,” army sources said.
Soon after, the top officers headed to forward areas in Nowshera, Bhimber Gali (BG) and Krishna Ghati (KG) sectors of Rajouri and Poonch districts in a helicopter.
“Army chief, General Bipin Rawat, accompanied by the Northern Army Commander Lt Gen D Anbu visited White Knight Corps on Friday to review the op preparedness and the prevailing security situation in the Corps Zone. He was briefed by Lt Gen A K Sharma, GOC, about the preparedness of White Knight Corps in dealing with the emerging and dynamically changing security situation and the measures taken to thwart any misadventure by inimical forces,” said an official statement by the army.
Genral Rawat also visited Rajouri wherein he was briefed on the operational readiness by the GOC Ace of Spades division. He was briefed on the actions being undertaken to ensure a robust counter infiltration grid, the statement further stated.
Since May 1 this year, both the countries have been trading heavy fire on the de-facto border leaving several soldiers and civilians dead on either side of the divide.
Nine soldiers were among 11 killed while 16 others injured in border skirmishes this month in Rajouri and Poonch districts, south of Pir Panjal range.
More than 4,000 villagers in Nowshera sector were shifted to five relief camps and over 110 livestock fell prey to shelling and firings by the Pakistani army along the LoC in Rajouri district where nearly 35 structures, including over two dozen houses, were damaged.