New Delhi, May 16: The Army has finally taken up an aggressive position in the Kashmir Valley. With the increase in cross border firing instances, the Army has changed its tactic and has deployed 5,000 additional troops closer to the Line of Control in the 28 division area in Kupwara.

The troops are a part of the reserve force of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps of the Army and will now move to the strike brigades of the 28 division in Tangdhar, Keran, Macchal and Gurez along the Line of Control (LoC). With additional deployment of troops, more units of the Rashtriya Rifles are also expected to move to the sector to increase the number to nearly 30,000 troops.

Infiltration is a real cause of concern, not only for the Indian Army but also for the government, especially with the elections in the pipeline in the state. According to top Army officials, there are about 900 militants in the Valley out of which about a quarter are very active. In order to curb the growing infiltration, the deployment of additional troops is the need of the hour in a bid to guard the border.

Meanwhile, in a related development, the DG of the Border Security Force, A K Mitra, confirmed that fences along the border that separates India and Pakistan in the Samba sector, were indeed cut. He said that "it is a lesson and we have learnt it."

He also said that Pakistan Rangers' role in recent infiltration bid in this sector "cannot be ruled out" as "some cartridges used by the Rangers have been found."

The BSF has also increased its presence in Samba with the deployment of 1000 more troops in the area and has also initiated several steps viz. Surveillance gadgetry is being upgraded, thermal imagers are likely to be installed and night vision goggles and devices are to be provided to the BSF men at the border.

Mitra's visit to Samba came in the backdrop of May 9 infiltration bid by militants from Pakistan and an encounter in which two terrorists were shot dead in the sector. Four civilians including a photojournalist and two Army Jawans were also killed in the encounter.

To prevent any such infiltration bid in the future, Mitra said the fencing along the border at Samba would also be moved 100 metres towards the international border.