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Jammu, March 14: A massive search operation was launched on Saturday in forward areas of Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district soon after a Pakistani drone crossed the International Border to enter into the Indian side.
Officials said, “A massive search operation was launched by security forces today in several forward villages of Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district after a Pakistani drone crossed the International Border and entered the Indian territory.
“The enemy drone movement was noticed for a few minutes over the villages of Kandral, Abtal and Bahadurpur in Ramgarh sector late on Friday night."
“The area was kept under strict surveillance and a massive search operation was launched at first light of the day to ensure that there was no air-dropping of weapons or narcotics from across the border”, officials added.
Jammu and Kashmir has a 740-km-long Line of Control (LoC) and a 240-km-long International Border with India. The LoC is manned by the Indian Army and is situated in Kupwara, Bandipora and Baramulla districts of the Valley and in Poonch, Rajouri and partly in Jammu district of Jammu division.
The International Border is manned by the Border Security Force (BSF) and is situated in Samba, Kathua and Jammu districts of Jammu division.
The Army and the BSF are deployed to prevent infiltration, exfiltration, drug smuggling and drone activity initiated from the Pakistan side of the border.
Drones are used by the terrorist outfits with the assistance of Pakistan’s ISI to drop arms, ammunition, drugs and cash to sustain terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
The payloads of these drones are picked up by the over ground workers (OGWs) of the terrorist outfits and then passed on to the militants.
The Indian Army and the BSF have installed special anti-drone equipment along the LoC and the International Border. After the installation of this hi-tech anti-drone equipment, the instances of drone crossings have come down in Jammu and Kashmir.
--IANS