Special Army, Navy and Airforce troops deployed to counter terrorism in Kashmir Valley

In a major step towards tackling subversion and terrorism in the Valley, the special forces of Army, Navy and Air Force have been deployed in the Kashmir to work together and carry out combined counter-terrorism operations. The aim of this deployment is to help train the three forces to work together against anti-national elements that disrupt peace and sanctity of Kashmir. It is also being done to give the troops exposure of operating jointly in real operations. On Friday, a top Border Security Force (BSF) officer had reported that terrorists are waiting for an opportunity to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan. He said that with the onset of winter, visibility drops due to foggy conditions and snowfall in mountainous areas, increasing possibilities of infiltration. 

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The three special forces, namely, the Army's Para (Special Forces), Navy's Marine Commandos (MARCOS) and Indian Air Force's Garud Special Forces are being deployed in the Kashmir valley under the Defence Ministry's newly-raised Armed Forces Special Operations Division (AFSOD), senior Defence sources told ANI.

Operations by the Special forces 

The Army Para (SF) have been initiated in areas near Srinagar that are considered to be a hotbed of terror activities, according to Defence sources. "In the same way the elements of the MARCOS and the Guards would also be getting fully inducted into the anti-terrorist operations very soon," they said. The Air Force Special Forces (AFSOD) have had a very successful stint in the Kashmir valley previously when they managed to eliminate six terrorists in one go in Operation Rakh Hajin. The head of the operation JP Nirala was also awarded the Ashok Chakra for its success. 

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The AFSPD has already carried out two exercises in different locations by practising attacks on strategic enemy positions and taking back captured areas. The first head of the Armed Forces Special Operations Division (AFSOD) is Major General Ashok Dhingra. The first exercise of the AFSOD was in the Kutch region codenamed Ex Smelling Field while the second was in Andaman and Nicobar Islands codenamed DANX-2019. The division has been performing well since its inception, however, it is facing certain issues in raising enough manpower as well as lack of equipment. 

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(With Agency Inputs)