The government has ordered the extraction of two BSF battalions, comprising more than 2,000 personnel, from Odisha to beef up security in the terror-hit Jammu region along the India-Pakistan border, official sources said on Saturday. The decision to "immediately" move the two units from the anti-Naxal operations grid to Jammu was taken in the wake of the recent spate of terror attacks in the region, the sources told PTI. Officials in the security establishment said the two Border Security Force (BSF) units were meant to be deployed as the "second line" of defence behind the first tier of its units deployed along the international border in the Jammu area to check infiltration of terrorists from across the frontier, apart from attacks by these elements in the hinterland. The troops of these two units are expected to be based in Samba and near the Jammu-Punjab border, the sources said. "Two recent meetings, one in Delhi and one in Jammu, of the top security brass necessitated bolster
The BSF South Bengal Frontier has set up "special help desks" at Integrated Check Posts (ICP) along the India-Bangladesh border to facilitate the safe return of students from the violence-torn neighbouring country. Officials said it is in touch with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to coordinate the safe evacuation of students, even during night-time operations. The BSF has successfully assisted in the return of 572 Indian students, 133 Nepalese students and four Bhutanese students so far, the border guarding force said in a statement. "Amid this unrest, many Indian, Nepalese and Bhutanese students studying in various educational institutions in Bangladesh are being sent back to their countries. The BSF South Bengal Frontier has set up special help desks at ICP Petrapole, LCS Gede, Ghojadanga, and Mahadipur to facilitate the safe return of these students," a BSF statement said. "The BSF is in constant touch with BGB. This coordination has ensured the safe evacuation of students ev
Two terrorists were killed as security forces foiled an infiltration attempt at the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Keran sector on Thursday, officials said."In a significant operation, the Indian Army successfully eliminated two terrorists attempting to infiltrate across the Line of Control in the Keran Sector of Kashmir," the Army's release stated.According to the Army release on July 17, a credible input was received from JKP, further corroborated by intelligence agencies, regarding a group of foreign terrorists likely to infiltrate through Keran Sector."On July 18, at approximately 1230 a.m., alert troops observed the movement of two terrorists through thick foliage on their own side of LoC. The infiltrating terrorists were challenged, following which they opened fire, leading to an intense firefight," it added.The two hard-core foreign terrorists were killed along with the recovery of weapons, war like stores and a Pakistani identity card.This successful intelligence-based
The Arunachal Pradesh government has re-constituted six regional committees to examine and exercise the present status of border dispute with Assam. A notification issued by the Home and inter-state border affairs department on Thursday said that the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the regional committees, as established, will continue to be governed by the provisions set forth in the original notification issued on June 1, 2022. The remaining six districts of the state where border dispute with Assam still persists as people from both states have not agreed to demarcation of villages along the inter-state border includes, Pakke Kessang, Papum Pare, Kamle, Lower Siang, Lower Dibang Valley and Longding district respectively. The state government has appointed Health and Family Welfare Minister Biyuram Wahge as the chairman of the committee for Pakke Kessang district with the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police as members. For Papum Pare district, Land Management Minister B
The Border Security Force has intercepted 125 drones this year along Punjab's border with Pakistan, marking a notable rise from 22 drones intercepted in 2022 and 107 in 2023
Extensive efforts to track down terrorists involved in the attack on pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district continued on Tuesday, with 11 teams of security personnel working on the ground and a multi-directional cordon laid around the Poni-Treyath belt, officials said. Security forces have sounded a high alert in Jammu and Rajouri districts and intensified checking and frisking in the belt following the terror attack that left nine dead and 41 injured, they said. According to the officials, more than 20 people have been picked up for questioning. On Sunday, terrorists opened fire at the 53-seater bus carrying pilgrims when it was en route from the Shiv Khori temple to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra near Teryath village in the Poni area. The bus, which was ferrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi, plunged into a deep gorge following the gunfire. Deputy Inspector General of Police, Udhampur-Reasi Range, Rayees Mohammad Bhat said the security forces ha
Forty-nine drones have been either shot down or recovered from along the India-Pakistan international border by the BSF in the 60 days of the Model Code of Conduct being in force for the ongoing general election in the country, latest data show. Separately, the total recovery of these largely Chinese-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), originating from Pakistan and entering India's Punjab territory and a few in Rajasthan, has seen an about 13 times rise since 2022 in the January-May period. The MCC, or the Model Code of Conduct, came into force on March 16, the day the Election Commission held a press conference here to announce a seven-phase election in the country. The dataset, prepared by the Border Security Force (BSF), the unit that guards the 2,289 km India-Pakistan international border, and analysed by PTI, shows that a total of 49 drones, or UAVs, were either shot down or recovered by the security agencies from March 16 till date. The maximum recoveries, 47, were made in
Four United Nations military observers were wounded Saturday while patrolling the southern Lebanese border after a shell exploded near them, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon said. The military observers are part of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, which supports the U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL. Local Lebanese media, citing security officials, said an Israeli drone strike targeted the observers in the southern village of Wadi Katmoun near the border town of Rmeich. Hezbollah-run television station Al-Manar said the drone strike wounded three officers from Australia, Chile, and Norway, as well as a Lebanese interpreter. The Israeli military on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, said: Contrary to the reports, the IDF did not strike a @UNIFIL vehicle in the area of Rmeish this morning. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said they are investigating the origin of the explosion. The targeting of peacekeepers is unacceptable, Ten
Special Director General (SDG) of the BSF's Western Command, Yogesh Bahadur Khurania, concluded a five-day visit in the Kashmir valley which was aimed to assess the security situation and operational preparedness of the force along the Line of Control (LoC), an official said here on Saturday. The SDG of Western Command Chandigarh undertook a significant five-day visit to the Kashmir Frontier from March 18 to 22, a BSF spokesman said. The spokesman said the visit aimed to assess the security situation and operational preparedness along the LoC, reaffirming the commitment of the BSF to safeguard India's borders. The visit commenced with a detailed briefing by Inspector General, BSF Kashmir Frontier, Ashok Yadav, on the security situation on the LoC and hinterland, he said. The spokesman said the visit included an aerial reconnaissance and visits to forward defended localities, as well as to the Sector Headquarters (SHQ) BSF in Kupwara and Srinagar. At each location, the SDG engaged
Several strategically important roads in North and East Sikkim are blocked due to heavy snowfall, the Border Road Organisation (BRO) said in a statement on Thursday. Strategically important roads along Lachung and Lachen axis and the national highway to Nathu La and Tamze have experienced exceptionally heavy snowfall causing disruption of socio-economic activities and posing a challenge to all road users. "Due to disturbance from western Himalayan region, the weather in Sikkim has taken a swift turn because of which Northern and Eastern part of Sikkim is experiencing heavy snowfall," it said.. Further, post devastating flash floods in Sikkim, the lines of communication, leading to North Sikkim, especially to Lachen Valley have suffered extensive damage, the BRO said, adding it had restored connectivity for the armed forces deployed along Lachen Valley via Donkyala pass, located at 18,200 feet. Following an unprecedented heavy snowfall, a team of 758 BRTF under Project Swastik of ..
The rare 'President's Medal for Gallantry' awards have been given to two Border Security Force personnel for their contributions to the United Nations peacekeeping force in conflict-hit Congo
At least three BSF personnel sustained bullet injuries after gunmen fired at security forces in Manipur's Thoubal district, police said on Thursday. The incident occurred late Wednesday night when the gunmen from a mob which "attempted to breach the Thoubal police headquarters" fired at the security personnel, a police statement said. The mob, first, targeted the 3rd Indian Reserve Battalion at Khangabok in Thoubal district and security forces repelled them using minimum force. "Further, the mob attempted to breach Thoubal police headquarters, prompting the security forces to use the force. Armed men from among the mob fired with live rounds. As a result, three personnel from BSF sustained bullet injuries," the police statement said. The three, identified as Constable Gourav Kumar, ASI Sobram Singh and ASI Ramji, have been sent to a private hospital. The district administration imposed a curfew in Thoubal. However, people, belonging to essential services including health, media,
Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF) Nitin Agrawal on Wednesday reviewed the security situation and operational preparedness of the troops guarding the border with Pakistan on the Jammu frontier, officials said. Agrawal, who visited areas located close to the International Border (IB), also called on Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at the Raj Bhavan here and briefed him about the security situation along the border. The DG reviewed the security situation and the operational preparedness of the troops with senior BSF officials. Agrawal is currently on a visit to the Jammu region. D K Boora, Inspector General, BSF, Jammu frontier, briefed Agrawal about the security situation here. The BSF DG visited various border outposts in Jammu's Akhnoor sector on August 9 last year and exhorted the troops to maintain effective domination to successfully meet the challenges from across the frontier.
Night curfew has been imposed along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district to ensure better area domination by BSF troops and to foil any nefarious activities close to the borderline, according to an official order. The step was taken to prevent cross-border infiltration and smuggling of weapons through drones in the extreme foggy weather conditions prevailing along the Indo-Pak border line, said the order issued by District Magistrate Abhishek Sharma on Sunday. According to the order, the movement of civilians has been stopped from from 9 pm to 6 am in one kilometre-long strip from the IB in Samba district. No person or group of persons shall move in the area up to one kilometre along the International Border in district Samba from 2100 hours to 0600 hour during the night, the DM said in the order and invoked Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code to impose a night curfew along the IB. The instruction was issued following a meeting of the ...
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Eastern Army Commander Lt General Rana Pratap Kalita on Wednesday said within a couple of years, India will be able to match China in terms of infrastructure development along the borders between the two countries. He said the Chinese have an advantage in some areas because they started infrastructure development in these places early. "In the last five to 10 years, a lot of focus has been on infrastructure development and I am sure in another couple of years, we will be able to match the capability of the PLA (People's Liberation Army of China)," General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Army Command, Lt General R P Kalita said in a media interaction at Fort William here. Asserting that there is still a lot of work to do, Kalita, who is set to retire on December 31, said given the rate at which India is carrying out infrastructure development, it can be achieved by that time frame. As of now, the PLA has a certain amount of advantage over India as far as infrastructure in certa
Four Army personnel lost their lives while three others were injured in the ambush attack on Thursday, last week
BSF Special Director General, Western Command, Yogesh Bahadur Khurania, on Monday said that a total of 95 drones, mostly from Punjab, have been recovered this year. He added that many steps, including increasing troops deployment and conducting vulnerability mapping, have been taken to prevent smuggling of narcotics and weapons from across the border. The Western Command of the Border Security Force (BSF) is responsible for effective border management on the India-Pakistan border with five frontiers Kashmir, Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Addressing the media here, Khurania said that narcotics smuggling has been seen as a challenge for a long time in Punjab and some areas of Rajasthan and Jammu. For the last two to three years, we are seeing that continuous attempts are being made to smuggle drugs and weapons from across the border with the use of drones, he added. Khurania said training is being given to the BSF troops and technique is also being used to prevent smuggling
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reached Lepcha in Himachal Pradesh to celebrate Diwali with security forces. Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has been visiting military facilities to celebrate Diwali. In a post on 'X', the prime minister said, "Reached Lepcha in Himachal Pradesh to celebrate Diwali with our brave security forces." Earlier, he greeted people on Diwali and wished them joy, prosperity and health. "Wishing everyone a Happy Diwali! May this special festival bring joy, prosperity and wonderful health to everyone's lives," Modi said.