New Delhi: Army is set to launch new major flushing out operations of militants in Rajouri, Udhampur, Akhnur and Jammu areas and has also finalised plans to reposition some of its establishments in these border areas to make them less vulnerable to militant suicide strikes.

The plans to launch new operations were finalised at a high-level meeting at Army headquarters on July 24, chaired by the Army chief NC Vij and come in the wake of intelligence reports that there had been a step up recently in infiltration from across the Jammu border sector, particularly the Chamb-Akhnur axis.

Highly placed officials said the meeting, which was attended by Army top brass including the operational and intelligence commanders had been called to take stock of the militants move to step up attacks on Army establishments in field areas near the border.

Officials said while infiltration had drastically come down in Poonch-Mendhar and Surankote sectors following placement of a number of highly sophisticated Israeli and US imported sensors and stepping up of the pace of building an anti-militancy electronic wall six kilometres away from the LoC, the militants now were using less monitored belt from Chicken Neck to Kalidhar ranges to come across the border.

As a first major step, all Army units in Pathankot to Akhnur belt have been told to clear the monsoon elephant grass around their establishments. The tall grass was used by the militants to launch the suicide attack on both the Sunjawan as well as Tanda camps.

PTI