Cautious killers, people's heroes

JAMMU , May 24 - The Army's Romeo Force, operating in the Rajouri-Poonch belt, has sent shivers down the spine of militants which is evident from instructions given to the foreign mercenaries by agencies across the border that they (militants) should avoid engaging the troops in encounters.

These instructions are said to have been sent recently to the foreign mercenaries after the Romeo Force eliminated more than 150 rebels in the Rajouri-Poonch belt out of 250 killed in the Jammu region during the past five months.

What has shocked the agencies across the border is the seizure of large quantities of weapons, ammunition and explosives from the slain militants and from the hideouts which the Romeo Force had destroyed during the past four months.

The GOC Romeo Force, Maj-Gen Richard Khare, and Brig J.S.  Jaswal, said as the local support to the foreign mercenaries was dwindling as 'four boys have succeeded in eliminating at least 30 top militants during the past 15 days.'

They said the foreign mercenaries felt short of local guides and it was evident from the recovery of maps from several slain militants.

What seems to encourage the Romeo Force to intensify the operation seek and destroy is the way General Khare, Brigadier Jaswal and Col Manjit Singh have been supervising these operations right in the field and atop steep hilltops and dense forests.

Local people have started cooperating with the Romeo Force to the extent that they inform about the spots where the IEDs or landmines have been planted.  This has helped the troops to avert big tragedies.  But the flow of information regarding the militant hideouts their plans comes in a trickle.  The recent success of the Romeo Force in rescuing several local boys who were being forcibly sent across the border for arms training has resulted in a healthy change among the people who look towards to the Romeo Force as their saviour.

The security scenario in Rajouri-Poonch has witnessed a change in the sense that it is the Romeo Force that engage the rebels in encounters and not the vice versa as was the trend six months ago.

'Kill with caution'  is the directive for the Romeo Force.

The men of the force have been directed to carry out a survey prior to launching an operation against the militants because of the reports that the rebels have been equipped with highly sophisticated weapons and explosives, including plastic explosive-3 American make which is deadlier than RDX.

The Army authorities have taken measures to check infiltration from across the border which is expected to be on the higher side during the next five months. The Pak troops have been looking for opportunities for pushing into the Jammu sector small groups of militants from across the Poonch and Rajouri sectors.

It is in this connection that the Pak troops have resorted to intermittent but heavy shelling on the border villages to carve out infiltration routes.

The Indian troops have set up posts close to the border villages so that if any group of militants managed to give slip to the Indian forces on the zero line, they were caught and eliminated in the villages.

It has been a difficult terrain, border area being dotted by steep hills, dense forests and ravines, and poor mobility facilities that have been the only bottlenecks before the Romeo Force.  At the same time the Army authorities are confident that they would be able to tame the rebels in the near future in case the militants did not receive material assistance from the neighbouring areas of Udhampur and Doda districts.

Senior functionaries of the Defence Ministry have appreciated the role played by the Romeo Force in foiling militant gameplan of destabilising peace and kicking up subversive violence.
 

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