Fearing fidayeen strikes, security beefed up near camps, LOC

Highly sophisticated mesh wire installed, safeguarding camps near the border towns is the top priority

VILGAM:FEARING fidayeen attacks or forcible entry into camps, the army and police have doubled its security around camps, especially close to the Line of Control. They have installed sophisticated mesh wire and security installation around most of its camp and the LOC.

The process to upgrade the fencing began in 2017 and it’s still going on at various places, especially in north Kashmir, where big army installations are located. Even though, the sensitive camps have been secured from many years, the militants manage to breach the security by either scaling the fencing or by just taking advantage of secured areas around the camps close to the LOC.

Also, the boundary walls of many police stations across the Valley have been raised and security around the police installations have also been intensified. The steps to upgrade the security of police stations and other installations was taken after militants started targeting police stations by hurling hand grenades.

“The security around many camps and police stations had many short comings in the past and militants could have taken advantage of those loopholes. The security was upgraded after several inspections around camps and police stations,” a senior police officer, privy to these developments told Hindustan Times.

Earlier, the camps were secured by placing barbed wire, tin sheets or concertina wires. However, now fresh layer of mesh wire which is highly sophisticated has been placed around the camps in many areas of north Kashmir, especially in Kupwara district and Uri in Baramulla. The new type of mesh wire could be easily electrified to make installations more secure during night when there is more possi-

bility of militant attacks.

“The militants are looking for the gaps within our security to breach them and army as well as other security agencies are using every new material to safeguard its camps in the Valley,” said a senior army officer.

He said safeguarding the camps especially near the Line of Control or in border towns is the top priority. “It is not that camps are not secured but more and more emphasis is being put on to make the camps more secure.”

The army has put additional security rings around its camps that fall under 19 and 28 infantry divisions that overlooks the major portion of the Line of Control in north Kashmir and all the sensitive camps have been secured and more measures are in place to make these camps or security installations.

From past few years, there have been attempts that after sneaking into the Valley, militants mostly (fidayeen) storm the army installations in north Kashmir. Officials claim that the militants have brief to target any big camp once they cross the LOC.