The Hindu : `Pak. militant camps moved closer to LoC'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 25, 2003

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`Pak. militant camps moved closer to LoC'

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR NOV. 24. Pakistan has shifted its militant training camps closer to the Line of Control and set up new ones from where it can send rebels quickly into the country, the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command, Lt. Gen. Hari Prasad, has told presspersons.

Accusing Pakistan of continuously pushing trained militants into Jammu and Kashmir, he said Pakistan's claims of a crackdown on militant groups were "simply for the consumption of Americans''.

He said that having worked mostly in J&K, he was well aware of the ground situation. "I have every reason to believe that there is no truth in the Pakistani claims. The Pakistan Army and the ISI have been continuously pushing in militants but we have eliminated most of the infiltrators."

He said counter-insurgency measures had yielded good results and the troops had killed about 300 infiltrators while intercepting 93 groups in the last few months. Militants across the border had been put in a "go-ahead" gear and "presently there are 2,500 to 3,000 active militants in the State, of whom two-third are foreigners."

He said the latest equipment had strengthened the Army's operations and paying off on the LoC and International Border in Jammu region.

The Army had already `neutralised' 1,500 militants in the State during the current year.

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