Indian Army has effectively prevented another Pakistan BAT (border action team) operation in the Keran sector of Kupwara along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. The BAT operations are generally conducted by the Pakistan Army in conjunction with terrorists.
"The BAT action was attempted by seven to eight armed intruders with the aim of destroying one of our posts in the Keran sector at about 1 pm. The intruders were backed by mortar and small arms fire from the Pakistan army posts in the area," a senior officer told the Times of India.
Pakistan's BAT outfits are known to involved in the beheading of Indian soldiers by infiltrating the border. Two Indian soldiers were killed and decapitated earlier this year.
Ever since the mutilation incidents, Indian forces have kept a close eye for BAT squads who attempt to cross the border to target Indian Army. Reports state that Indian troops from a Sikh Light Infantry battalion detected and opened fire at the intruders on Tuesday in the nick of time and sent them back across the LoC.
"There was no casualty on our side. We are conducting fire assaults in the area," the Army officer said.
The incident occurred a day after Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat warned Pakistan that India would not hesitate to conduct another "surgical strike" or a similar operation if the Pak army does not stop aiding cross-border terrorism.
In September 2016, India, in a military confrontation with Pakistan, had conducted surgical strikes against militant launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and reportedly inflicted "significant casualties," varying from 35 to 50.
General Rawat said the Indian Army, with a robust counter-infiltration infrastructure along the 778-km LoC and a strong counter-terrorism operations team, is ready to continue "welcoming" infiltrating terrorists and "burying them two-and-a-half feet under the ground."
