Indian Army calls off Keran operation

Dismisses reports that some of the army posts had been taken over by the intruders

The Indian Army on Tuesday called off the 14-day-long operation to flush out intruders, allegedly backed by Pakistan, in the remote Keran area of Jammu and Kashmir on the Line of Control (LoC).

Lieutenant General Sanjiv Chachra, head of the Northern Command, said the operation in Keran sector on the LoC in north Kashmir's Kupwara district has ended.

He said, "I have given directions to call off the concerted search."

The army commander said the army has killed eight of the guerrillas, whose bodies and weapons had already been displayed before the media.

"It was an infiltration bid and these (bids) will continue till the winter sets in. Last night also there has been another infiltration bid."

"We are prepared to meet the challenges and our boys are in good shape. Their morale is high", the top army officer said.

He said all the Indian Army posts on the LoC are intact and dismissed reports that some of the army posts or any area on the Indian side of the LoC had been taken over by the guerrillas.

"Let me assure you, the sanctity of the Line of Control is well maintained," he said.

The army commander said the Pakistan Army always plays a definitive role whenever infiltration attempts are made on the LoC.

"It would be ridiculous to think that this can happen without the support of Pakistan Army", he asserted.

Answering a question about a previous statement by the army in which it had been said that 15 of the infiltrating guerrillas had been killed in the cordoned area on the LoC in Keran sector, the army commander said: "Some of the dead bodies might have been dragged back and some of the terrorists involved in this infiltration bid might have been used in other operations."

"It was a desperate infiltration bid since the numbers of terrorists in hinterland has gone down."

"Although searches have been called off in the area, we have re-deployed and strengthened our counter-insurgency grid. They might try in other areas next time, but we are quite prepared for the challenge," the army commander said.