Samba (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 21 (ANI): The Border Security Force (BSF) foiled a major infiltration bid by 45-50 terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district on May 8, using heavy mortar fire to destroy enemy posts after Pakistan attempted to facilitate the infiltration along the International Border (IB) under the cover of ceasefire violations, BSF officials confirmed to ANI.

According to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) SS Mand, the BSF effectively responded to the shelling, destroyed enemy posts, and prevented the terrorists from entering Indian territory. The BSF official also added that the forces were well prepared and responded with heavy bombardment to stop the infiltration facilitated by Pakistan.

'Our brave soldiers have inflicted great losses on them. We got intelligence that a large group is trying to infiltrate. We were ready for them and we detected them on 8 May. They were a group of 45-50 men... They were advancing to our location... We assessed the situation and since our scenario was war-gamed, we inflicted heavy bombardment on them... As expected, they retaliated with heavy fire from their posts... We opened up with heavy and accurate fire on them. That was a major factor. They were seen running away from their posts. We sorted them out in 1.5 hours...' DIG Mand told ANI.

Mand added that BSF officers were present alongside soldiers at forward posts, which played a key role in boosting troop morale. He also praised the role of women soldiers, saying, 'Our women troops stood shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts, carrying out all duties effectively. We are truly proud of them.'

He further added, 'Our officers were present with the soldiers on the forward posts. This was a major factor in the morale of our troops being very high... We decimated their bunkers and degraded their fire capacity... Our jawans are still very energised and if the enemy takes any action again, we will retaliate with ten times more force... BSF has these clear orders... Our women soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts and executed all orders and duties effectively... We are really proud of our women troops...'

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha visited the Poonch Brigade headquarters on Wednesday. He met Indian Army soldiers and BSF personnel stationed in the area.

In another development, the BSF has resumed the ceremonial evening retreat at all three Joint Check Posts (JCPs) along the Punjab border. The Beating Retreat ceremony, also known as the flag-lowering event, has resumed at the Attari-Wagah, Hussainiwala, and Sadqi JCPs. The event had been suspended on May 9 following the 'barbaric' Pahalgam attack and the subsequent launch of Operation Sindoor to avenge the victims of the terror attack. It is now open to the public again.

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 as a decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. Indian Armed Forces targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the death of over 100 terrorists affiliated with terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.

After India's strike on terror infrastructure, Pakistan responded with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control (LoC) and Jammu and Kashmir, as well as attempted drone attacks targeting civilian areas along the border regions. In response, India neutralised Pakistani air defence apparatus, radar infrastructure, and communication centres, and inflicted heavy damage across 11 airbases in Pakistan.

After this, on May 10, an understanding on the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan was announced.(ANI)