‘Army needs to be more aggressive’

“It seems these militants were planning a major operation of targeting schools in the area for kidnapping to attract attention of the international community,” a senior security official said. Sources said that taking serious note of the recent developments along the border, the government will soon carry out an extensive review of security preparedness along the LoC and the International Border. There is also an increasing view within the government now that the defence forces should adopt a more aggressive posture in the Valley. “It is surprising that the Army did not go all out against the militants holed up in the Keran sector. They should have deployed heavy artillery right from the word go and launched an aerial attack too. It seems that all security forces operating in the Valley, whether its Army, BSF and CRPF, have to make tactical changes in its operations,” the official said. It is estimated that at least 90 militants have entered the Valley from across the border this year. According to home ministry estimates, at least 120 hard-core militants entered the Valley in 2012 while 90 militants have already sneaked into the state from across the border till September 30, 2013.