Army chief: Ready for 2-and-a-half front war

Faced with multiple external and internal security challenges, the Army and Navy on Thursday said the country is prepared to combat all situations. Army chief General Bipin Rawat speaking to news agency ANI said, "Indian Army is fully ready for a two- and-a-half front war."

Speaking to ANI, the army chief added that even though India is ready for a multi-front war, there are effective mechanisms available to defuse an adverse situation and that the Indian army's preparations are not against any specific country.

"Even the PM has stated that for the last 40 years not even a single bullet has been fired on the Indo-China border," said General Rawat.

Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba responding to queries by journalists on General Rawat's comments said on Thursday, "India armed forces are prepared for every contingency."

With increased infiltration attempts in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian Army has responded and targeted Pakistani army posts across the Line of Control aiding terrorists. "The Pakistani army is trying to hide how many soldiers they have lost at LoC. This is their internal matter," said Admiral Lanba, who is also the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee by virtue of seniority.

Security forces in Kashmir have launched also scaled up anti terror operations in the hinterland and also heightened vigil on the Line of Control to curb infiltration. In the last couple of weeks, the number of terrorists killed in the hinterland and LoC have also gone up.