Army chief at southern command to review security

NEW DELHI: Army chief General Dalbir Singh visited the Pune-based Southern Command on Sunday to carry out a security review, at a time the force is at its highest

NEW DELHI: Army chief General Dalbir Singh visited the Pune-based Southern Command on Sunday to carry out a security review, at a time the force is at its highest alert level along the India-Pakistan border following the September 29 surgical strikes.

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This is General Singh’s fourth visit to an operational command that has men and assets deployed in the border areas. He has already visited Udhampur-based Northern Command, Chandimandir-based Western Command and the South Western Command in Jaipur.

The situation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and the international border has been tense after the targeted operations by India’s Special Forces against terror shelters in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The cross-border raids were seen as India’s first direct military response to the Uri attack.

Lieutenant General RR Nimbhorkar on Sunday completed his tenure as general officer commanding of Nagrota-based 16 Corps and will take up his new assignment in Delhi. He was supposed to hand over the charge of the corps on September 28 but his posting was deferred.

The corps is responsible for guarding the LoC to the south of Pir Panjal ranges, including the Poonch, Rajouri and Akhnoor sectors that have witnessed a surge in border violations by the Pakistani army.