Balakot terror camp has been reactivated: Army Chief

Chennai, Sep 23 (IANS) The Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot, which was destroyed in Indian air strikes in February, has been reactivated, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said on Monday.

He also said that around 500 terrorists are waiting to infiltrate into India and the Pakistan Army is trying to help them by indulging in cross-border firing.

"Balakot has been reactivated by Pakistan recently...Pakistan has got people back there," the Army Chief told reporters at the Officers Training Academy (OTA) here.

He was referring to the JeM terror camp which was targeted by Indian Air Force fighter jets on February 26, in retaliation to the attack on the CRPF convoy in Kashmir's Pulwama on February 14, which was claimed by the Pakistan-based outfit and killed 40 personnel of the paramilitary force.

There were different versions about how many terrorists were killed in the air strikes on the camp, believed to be a large training campus, but the IAF had maintained it was in no position to confirm the casualties on the ground as its task was to hit the target, which it had accomplished.

Gen Rawat said the latest developments in Balakot highlighted that the IAF had damaged and destroyed the terror camp there.

Pakistan had claimed that there was no terror camp at the targeted place but India had provided technical evidence about the damage caused there.

The Army Chief said around 500 terrorists are waiting to infiltrate into India and they are shifting their entry points depending on the climate.

To push terrorists into India, Pakistan violates the ceasefire and the Indian Army knows how to deal with that, he added.

Rawat said the Indian Army has pushed in more troops along the Line of Control (LoC) to check infiltration.