The Indian Army Tuesday called off the 14-day-long operation to remove intruders in Keran area of Jammu and Kashmir and army chief General Bikram Singh asserted it was impossible to infiltrate across the Line of Control (LoC)without the Pakistani army's knowledge.
"Along the Line of Control, there is no way terrorists can operate in that area without the knowledge of Pakistani Army," Gen. Bikram Singh said in Delhi Tuesday after the operations ended in north Kashmir's Kupwara district.
Northern Command head Lt.General Sanjiv Chachra said in Srinagar that eight of the guerrillas have been killed and he has "given directions to call off the concerted search".
Gen. Bikram Singh said the army has got much evidence, including a letter found with a terrorist, information and intercepts.
He added: "The covering fire that is given to them to infiltrate, it comes from their posts."
"I am very clear, having known the deployment along the Line of Control, no activities by the terrorists can take place without the support of the Pakistani army," he told TV channel Times Now.
Talking to reporters at the Hindon Air Base, he said it was not an intrusion but an infiltration bid.
"This is not an intrusion, it is a desperate bid for infiltration," the army chief said on the sidelines of the annual Air Force Day Parade.
"These terrorists were in a nullah (drain). What advantage would they get by sitting in a nullah?" he said.
The terrorists were killed in last four days in a mop up operation.
Lt.Gen. Chachra said: "It was an infiltration bid and these (bids) will continue till the winter sets in. Last night also there has been another infiltration bid."
"We are prepared to meet the challenges and our boys are in good shape. Their morale is high," he said.
He said all the army posts on the LoC are intact and dismissed reports that some of the army posts or any area on the Indian side of the LoC has been taken over by the guerrillas.
"Let me assure you, the sanctity of the Line of Control is well maintained," he said.
The army commander said the Pakistan Army always plays a definitive role whenever infiltration attempts are made on the LoC.
"It would be ridiculous to think that this can happen without the support of Pakistan Army," he added.
On the dead terrorists, the general said: "Some of the dead bodies might have been dragged back and some of the terrorists involved in this infiltration bid might have been used in other operations."
"It was a desperate infiltration bid since the numbers of terrorists in hinterland has gone down."
The army commander said that though searches have been called off in the area, they "have re-deployed and strengthened counter-insurgency grid".
