BSF struck back, hit 27 Pak posts & 18 towers
27 posts, 18 watchtowers razed, govt told
In one of the biggest retaliatory actions along the India-Pakistan border in recent times, the Border Security Force has destroyed 27 posts and 18 watchtowers of Pakistan in the last few days, the BSF has informed the union home ministry.
The BSF also said it killed seven Pak Rangers and injured many others, including a Lt Colonel-rank officer. Home minister Rajnath Singh held a detailed security review meeting on Wednesday.
Border skirmishes between the two countries have increased since September, when terrorists killed 19 Indian soldiers, prompting India to carry out surgical strikes against militants in Pakistanoccupied Kashmir.
In one of the biggest retaliatory actions along the India-Pakistan border by security forces, the BSF has informed the Union home ministry that it has destroyed 27 posts and 18 watchtowers of the Pakistani Rangers in the last few days. BSF, which is the border guarding force for the Indo-Pak border, has also stated that it has killed as many as seven Pak Rangers and injured several of them, including a senior officer of the rank of Lt. Colonel.
Amid unprecedented ceasefire violations and heavy firing by Pakistani Rangers along the border in the northern sector, one of the first things that home minister Rajnath Singh did on return from his three-day Bahrain visit on Wednesday was to have a detailed security review meeting with senior officials on the prevailing situation along the border. These details were shared by the BSF during the high-level meeting with the home minister. Sources said that even while in Bahrain, the home minister was closely monitoring the security scenario along the border and was in constant touch with the BSF chief K.K. Sharma.
The BSF also informed the home minister that heavy firing by the Pak Rangers was largely due to two main factors. Firstly, the Pakistani security forces are trying hard to push in large number of militants waiting close to the border before winter sets in and are primarily providing cover fire for this. Secondly, the Pak Rangers are retaliating to India’s surgical strikes and even the killing of seven of its personnel last week by BSF. Sources said the home minister was given a detailed presentation on deployment of troops along the border and how Indian security forces too were retaliating hard to the firing from across the border. “According to our information, the Pak Rangers and Army has deployed heavy artillery close to the border but has not used it so far. As of now, they are relying more on heavy mortar firing, heavy automatic weapons and even sniper shots. Our security forces too have mobilised their resources accordingly to meet any challenges,’’ a senior security official said.