Jammu, March 14 – A massive search operation was launched on Saturday in the forward areas of Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district immediately after a Pakistani drone crossed the International Border to enter Indian territory.
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 Indian territory."
"The movement of the enemy drone was noticed for a few minutes over the villages of Kandral, Abtal, and Bahadurpur in the Ramgarh sector late 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 located in the Kupwara, Bandipora, and Baramulla districts of the Valley, as well as in Poonch, Rajouri, and partially in the Jammu district of the Jammu division.
The International Border is manned by the Border Security Force (BSF) and is located in the Samba, Kathua, and Jammu districts of the Jammu division.
The Army and the BSF are deployed to prevent infiltration, exfiltration, drug smuggling, and drone activity initiated from the Pakistani side of the border.
Terrorist groups, with the assistance of Pakistan's ISI, use drones to drop weapons, ammunition, drugs, and cash to sustain terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
The payloads of these drones are collected by the ground workers (OGWs) of the terrorist groups, who then pass them 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 high-tech anti-drone equipment, the instances of drone crossings have decreased in Jammu and Kashmir.
