Terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad may be planning a terror attack on Air Force bases and around Jammu and Kashmir, top government sources have revealed. The Indian Intelligence agencies have also issued a warning with respect to a module of 10 terrorists of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). According to the top government sources, Indian Air Force bases in Srinagar, Awantipora, Jammu, Pathankot, Hindon have been put on high alert at an orange level.
Meanwhile, the senior officers are also reviewing the security arrangements 24×7 to tackle the threat. This comes days after the Indian Army had intercepted intelligence inputs that pointed at the revival of the Jaish-e-Mohammad's Balakot unit.
Fresh inputs have also revealed JeM may be targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top brass of the country as well as defence and paramilitary establishments.
The inputs come at a time when the Indian Army has stepped up vigil along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of heightened ceasefire violations by Pakistan which is giving cover fire to infiltrators in this sector.
According to fresh inputs received by intelligence agencies in India, as many as 45 militants are likely to have crossed over into Jammu and Kashmir over the last fortnight and may now target the Prime Minister as well as defence establishments under the Northern Command.
A senior official on condition of anonymity said, an alert had been sounded across all such establishments in the north and security across all defence and paramilitary establishments have been stepped up.
Intelligence agencies have also traced routes from where the militants infiltrated into the Indian territory in September via Kharameru to Kazinag to Manabal to Kupwara.
The inputs also suggested that the groups adopted an alternate route to skirt the presence of armed forces, through Narapatra to Kala Pahar to Lachhipura in Baramulla along the Line of Control to set up camps in north Kashmir.
Meanwhile, with the communication blockade in Kashmir entering its sixth week, security forces are faced with the formidable task of gathering intelligence even as terrorist movements from across the Line of Control has risen, a person familiar with the development said and added “Gathering exact intelligence has become tough because live intelligence networks (inputs received through locals) on the ground have suffered near-disintegration in the wake of a communication shutdown and an ongoing threat by militants.”
