Jammu & Kashmir floods: Lashkar ‘naval unit’ may infiltrate Kashmir Valley

New Delhi: Unprecedented floods in the Kashmir Valley have led to a new problem for the security forces amid specific intelligence inputs that Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed is trying to infiltrate members of the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba's naval unit into the Valley, taking advantage of the ongoing crisis there.

Militants from Lashkar's naval unit were also part of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks as it is the only terror unit which is believed to have a naval unit where terrorists are given advance training to launch attacks through the sea.

Sources said there are reports that Lashkar militants were positioned close to the Line of Control equipped with rubberised inflatable boats, satellite phones and diving sets, waiting for an opportunity to infiltrate the Valley.

Reports available with the security forces also suggest that Saeed too has been camping close to the border.

While sources said Saeed is projecting that he is helping out flood-affected people in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the main reason for him being in the area is to take advantage of the floods and push in as many as militants as possible.

"It is possible that Saeed wants to send the naval unit militants so that they can target the security personnel involved in the relief and rescue operations. These hardened militants will take advantage of the slightest possible opportunity to hit at our forces," a senior security official said.

There is also considerable concern among the security forces regarding the extensive damage caused to the border fencing due to the floods.

Security forces have been put on high alert due to which a major infiltration bid was thwarted in the Keran sector a few days ago.

There are also reports that some separatist elements were provoking the local residents regarding the relief and rescue operations being carried out by the security forces.

This has already led to some incidents of stone-throwing where residents targeted security personnel.

Sources said the possibility that the separatists were doing this on directions from elements across the border, could not be ruled out.

It is precisely for this reason that additional security forces are being rushed to the Valley to maintain law and order so that forces do not have to be withdrawn from the border.

"Forces from other parts are being pressed into relief and rescue work. For law and order duties, forces like the SSB and Delhi police are being used," the official said.