Although security forces have thwarted a terror plot by timely recovery f arms, ammunition, and money dropped by Pakistani drones in the Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, the recovery just near the highly sensitive Jammu-Pathankot national highway is a matter of worry for forces.
The consignment dropped by Pakistani drones was recovered from the village Badali near Swankha Morh in Vijaypur Sub-Division. The spot from where weapons including IEDs were recovered is located just near the highway, which was earlier attacked by terrorists thrice.
Sources said that the recovery of consignment dropped by Pakistani drones near the Jammu-Pathankot highway has added woes for the security forces. Secondly, a readymade steel IED was part of the consignment, which was recovered near the highway. The readymade IED could have been used anywhere and at any time.
44-km stretch of highway runs parallel to the Pakistan border
Security forces have reason to be worried because out of a total length of 100 km, a nearly 44 km stretch on the Jammu-Pathankot highway runs almost parallel to the International Border (IB) with Pakistan in the Kathua and Samba districts of Jammu province.
Similarly, a huge portion of the under-construction six-lane Jammu Ring road also runs parallel to the Pakistan border in the Jammu district.
The Jammu-Pathankot highway is dotted with several army cantonments and stations so the intrusion of Pakistani drones on this stretch is a matter of concern for the security forces.
Most of the terror attacks so far have been on the army camps along the Jammu-Pathankot national highway. As the only lifeline between Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of India, the highway witnesses frequent movement of Army convoys.
J&K Police recovered arms, IEDs and cash dropped by Pak drones
The Jammu and Kashmir police along with the special operations group recovered one suspicious package on Thursday, November 24, in the field near Jammu-Pathankot national highway. Upon inspection, the J&K police recovered arms and ammunition along with a wad of cash from the package which was dropped by a Pakistani drone from across the border.
The J&K police recovered one steel Improvised Explosive Device (IED), two pistols, 4 magazines, several batteries, and a watch from the package. They also recovered cash of around Rs 5 lakh from the package dropped in Samba.
As per the officials, there was a movement of a drone that was spotted in the area of Vijayapur which is opposite to Sialkot-Pakistan border.
