Pakistan new strategy of sending fidayeens serves dual purpose

For the last three years, Pakistan has adopted a new strategy of sending militants directly from the launch pads along the Line of Control and International Border to carry out sensational fidayeen attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.

The new strategy serves dual purpose for the Pakistani military and intelligence establishment: Security forces are bound to suffer casualties in these attacks. Second the attack helps in raising the morale of the militant cadres operating in Jammu and Kashmir

Following are some of the sensational cross border attacks:

July 27, 2015: A newly-infiltrated group of three militants carried out an audacious fidayeen attack killing seven people, including a superintendent of police, and injuring many others in Dinanagar area of Gurdaspur in Punjab. All the three militants, who were holed up in the police station, were later gunned down by the security forces in an 11-hour-long operation.

March 20, 2015: Two terrorists dressed in Indian army uniform crossed the international border, hijacked a jeep and stormed a police station in Kathua district of Jammu, killing four people. It was the first major terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir since the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led PDP-BJP coalition government took charge on March 1.

March 21, 2015: Two terrorists opened fire and lobbed grenades at an army installation in Samba near Jammu. Both the terrorists were later killed by the forces.

December 5, 2014: Seventeen people – Eight armymen, including a Lieutenant Colonel, three Jammu and Kashmir policemen and six newly-infiltrated fidayeen, were killed in a terror attack on 31 field regiment army camp at Mohra in the garrison town of Uri. The fidayeens had crossed the LoC from Pakistan into Uri to carry out the attack

November 27, 2014: A newly-infiltrated group of fidayeen militants stormed an abandoned army bunker near the International border and engaged the security forces in a fierce gunfight leaving three soldiers including a junior commissioned officer and three civilians dead in Arnia sector of Jammu division.

March 28, 2014: Heavily-armed fidayeen militants dressed as armymen carried out two audacious attacks killing three people including a soldier and injuring four others in Dayalachak and Janglote areas of Kathua district in Jammu division. All the three fidayeens (members of suicidal attack) were later killed by the security forces in the ensuing gun-battle that lasted for 10 hours in the forests of Janglote.

May 19, 2014: Tension gripped the Line of Control when suspected Pakistani Border Action Team attacked the Indian army patrol leaving one Sepoy dead and two others injured at Akhnoor sector in Jammu division.

September 26, 2013: Barely 72 hours before former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's proposed meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, newly-infiltrated fidayeen militants carried out two audacious attacks on the security forces installations in Kathua and Samba districts leaving 12 people dead including a lieutenant colonel of the army. Seven others including the commanding officer of the army camp were injured in the incident.

August 6, 2013: Wounds of Mendhar were still fresh when Pakistan army backed by highly motivated militants breached the Line of Control and ambushed the Indian army patrol killing five soldiers and wounding another at Chakan da Bagh in Poonch sector of Jammu division.

January 8 2013: Pakistan army's Border Action Team crossed the Line of Control into Indian side and beheaded Lance Naik Hemraj and badly severed the head of Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh of 13 Rajputana Riffles before fleeing to their side of LoC.