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350 SOG personnel to take on terrorists in mountains, dense forests of J&K
7 more BSF bns being deployed on IB to check infiltration
More being trained in Andhra for stepping-up operations
Trained in dense forests of Andhra Pradesh with elite Army units, nearly 350 Special Operations Group (SOG) personnel have been deployed in snow-bound areas, rugged mountainous terrain and dense forests to track down the terrorists and their support system in Jammu and Kashmir while with a view to ensure zero infiltration from the International Border (IB), the MHA has deputed seven more battalions of the BSF to the region.
Sources told the Excelsior that there have been concerns about infiltration from the IB as the summer has set-in amid reports that Pakistan was getting desperate to push terrorists into the Jammu region. Some terrorists trained by Pakistan army have been camping at launch pads close to the border waiting for infiltration.
“To ensure that there is no fresh infiltration from the borders, seven BSF battalions will be deployed along the International Border,” the sources said, adding some of the battalions have already reached while others will be reaching shortly.
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However, the process for deployment of SOG cops is continuous and more personnel are being trained for deployment at different places across the Union Territory to tackle the terror threat, the officials said, adding this is for the first time that Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel trained in Andhra Pradesh as a special arrangement have been posted in the mountainous and forest areas to eliminate the terrorists, some of whom are suspected to be hiding there.
The training of first batch of the SOG had started in Andhra Pradesh nearly 10 months back after April 22, 2025 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians including 25 tourists and a local were killed. The training has now been made a continuous process and the more SOG personnel will be deployed in vulnerable areas after training.
Army, paramilitary forces and Jammu and Kashmir Police are also engaged in anti-terror operations at different places and it was only last month that four hardcore terrorists of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) including their commander Saifullah were eliminated by the troops in snow-bound upper reaches of Chatroo in Kishtwar district.
“A decisive upgrade has been implemented within the Special Operations Group (SOG) of J&K Police. Under a specialized operational framework, two elite units have been carved out,” the sources said, adding this has been done to ensure that the local police personnel can better tackle the terrorists as they are aware of routes etc.
The SOG personnel, who were sent to the Greyhounds in Andhra Pradesh and trained with elite Army units, can focus on jungle warfare, endurance, terrain adaptation, and specialized combat techniques to take on the terrorists, who are also reportedly highly trained by the Pakistan army.
The SOG personnel were picked up for training after rigorous tests here and the process continues with more personnel undergoing similar training for deployment.
One of the Units, as per the sources, is centrally positioned and tailored for high-altitude warfare, operating across snow-bound zones, ridgelines, and extreme mountain conditions while the second one, spread across the Union Territory, is tasked with dominating dense forests and rugged mountainous terrain, areas long exploited by terrorist groups for infiltration and hideouts.
“This is specialization driven by terrain, threat pattern, and ground experience,” they added.
In first two decades of the militancy, the Special Operations Group (SOG), earlier known as Special Task Force (STF) played significant role in anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir. Later, its role was reduced to some extent though the SOG continued to operate with lesser strength.
There have been reports indicating presence of some foreign terrorists in the upper reaches of Doda, Kishtwar, Udhampur, Kathua, Rajouri and Poonch districts of the Jammu region. The terrorists are stated to be mostly foreigners from Pakistan and well trained in warfare.
They have infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir over a period of time and many of them have already been eliminated though some others could be active and hiding in the forests.
Meanwhile, though no major visible infiltration attempt has been noticed from the International Border in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts for past quite some time, sources, however, don’t rule out possibility of some intrusions last year.
“With the deployment of seven more battalions of the BSF, the Border Police and the Village Defence Guards (VDGs) will also get boost as this will create a comprehensive grid to ensure that the terrorists don’t manage to infiltrate at any cost,” the sources said.
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They said during three-day visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Jammu from February 5-7, he reviewed security situation at high-level meeting with heads of paramilitary forces, Jammu and Kashmir Police, Intelligence officials and civil administration. Top brass of MHA, Intelligence Bureau and other senior officers of different security and Intelligence agencies had also attended the meeting.
“The decision to deploy seven more battalions of the BSF to further strengthen the International Border in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts was part of the security plan finalized at the meeting and has been implemented now,” they added.