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Infiltration rate goes up
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Mendhar (Poonch), March 4
Army chief Gen Deepak Kapoor is right when he says infiltration bids across the Line of Control (LoC) have increased in the recent past, but it is also true that the successful infiltration rate has also registered a rise.

The intelligence sources confirmed that though the infiltration bids have increased in the recent past, the infiltrators have managed to successfully sneak to this side of the LoC in the districts of Rajouri and Poonch.

General Kapoor, in an interview with a private news channel on February 23, had said while the numbers had declined, attempts to infiltrate had gone up. "In 2006, the infiltration rate was approximately 343 as per our count. In 2007, it was 311. There is a marginal decline. But as far as the attempts or bids are concerned, they were slightly higher in 2007."

Intelligence sources revealed that about 12 infiltrators, taking advantage of the heavy rains and snowfalls, managed to sneak into this side of the LoC between January 23 and January 30. They further expected that in this sector, a group of 11 infiltrators managed to cross over to this side between Manna and Ghora post in the first week of February. "Of the 11 infiltrators, who crossed over to this side from Manna and Ghora post, eight were killed in three encounters that took place in Ghana village whereas three managed to escape," sources disclosed.

"We try our best to foil the infiltration attempts. But given the topography of this sector, sometimes infiltrators are successful in crossing over," said an army officer said.