India: A shift in infiltration pattern

NEW DELHI, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- India says it has observed a shift in the pattern of infiltration by terrorist groups along its eastern and western borders.

"A shift in the pattern of infiltration has been observed since 2005 ... whereby the terror outfits infiltrate in large numbers across the international borders in order to succeed even after encounters with the security forces," A.K. Mitra, director general of the Border Security Force, told a news conference Friday.

He said the risk involved in cutting the fence and making an entry point for a small group is the same as with larger groups. Due to increased risk involved in crossing from the borders, militants have tried unconventional methods for infiltration, he said.

Mitra said militants were using high-tech equipment to observe the movement of security forces before making an attempt to infiltrate.

"Though infiltration numerically has come down as compared to 2006, nevertheless the middle- or lower-level cadres continue to infiltrate through Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

Mitra said there were a few probing attempts in the past to infiltrate from the international border in Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu. However, their efforts to infiltrate through the international border did not yield results due to fencing and vigilance by the BSF. He said militants were now shifting to other borders like Nepal and Bangladesh to enter India.