BSF deploys 2 more battalions in Jammu to check Pakistani infiltration

The Border Security Force (BSF) has completed the deployment of two fresh battalions, comprising more than 2,000 personnel, in the Jammu region to better plug infiltration from across the Pakistan front and check the recent spurt of terrorist activities in the area.

Officials in the security establishment told PTI that the new troops of these units have been deployed "in depth areas" as the "second line of defence" just behind the BSF border deployment along the international border (IB) with Pakistan.

These two BSF battalions were recently withdrawn from the anti-Naxal operations theatre of Odisha and have now been deployed fully in the Jammu region. This was a task to be accomplished before the onset of winters when securing the IB against infiltration from Pakistan becomes challenging, the sources said.

The personnel of the new units have been deployed around the Samba area, some other vulnerable patches in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir and along the Punjab boundary that abuts Jammu, they said.

Multiple deployment points aided by CCTV cameras have also been created, the sources said.

The force guards more than 2,289 km of the international boundary that runs along Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat along India's western flank. The Jammu region accounts for 485 km of this border interspersed with dense forests and mountainous terrain. About a dozen BSF battalions are deployed along the Jammu IB region.

Making logistical arrangements for the personnel of these two units is going on. Temporary and permanent bases and patrolling halts are being prepared, they said.

These two battalions were withdrawn in July-August rom the Koraput and Malkangiri districts of Odisha where they were deployed for conducting anti-Naxal operations.

Security in the Jammu area came into focus following a series of terrorist attacks in Rajouri, Poonch, Reasi, Udhampur, Kathua and Doda districts this year that has killed more than 40 people, including 18 security personnel and village defence guard (VDG) members.

A number of terrorists have also been killed by security forces in this region during 2024.

The Jammu area is characterised by cross-border tunnels, dense forests and mountainous terrain making it an ideal ground for terrorists to launch attacks against civilians and security forces.