Infiltration 50, new terror groups arrive: Govt

A fresh group of 60 terrorists has infiltrated into the higher areas of Gurez sector in North Kashmir even as the Centre claimed that only around 50 militants had earlier sneaked into the border state while dismissing as “grossly exaggerated” reports that 158 terrorists had crossed over.

A fresh group of 60 terrorists has infiltrated into the higher areas of Gurez sector in North Kashmir even as the Centre claimed that only around 50 militants had earlier sneaked into the border state while dismissing as “grossly exaggerated” reports that 158 terrorists had crossed over.

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Official sources in Srinagar said that a militant of Pakistani origin who had been detained told his interrogators that a group of 100 terrorists belonging to various terror outfits had managed to reach Gurez, out of whom 40 porters returned after dumping the arms and ammunition.

The statement of the militant, who belongs to the banned Hizbul Mujahideen, stunned the army personnel present at the interrogation as the terrorists reportedly exposed the loopholes in the mechanism to thwart infiltration at the border.
The Centre today admitted that around 50 terrorists had infiltrated into J and K through the Gurez sector and said the entire security apparatus was alert to ensure peaceful Lok Sabha elections in the border state.

Though the Home Ministry sought to dismiss as “grossly exaggerated” reports that 158 terrorists had sneaked into the state through the Gurez sector in North Kashmir, the magnitude of the fresh infiltration as conveyed by the arrested militant sought to puncture these claims.

A Home Ministry spokesperson had said in a release that “according to the current assessment, the level of infiltration is a third of the figures that have been mentioned in the reports (158).”