CRPF to replace army at 21 locations in Jammu:Cobra team to join 2,100 personnel; move aimed at boosting army deployment on LAC

Preparations are underway to change the deployment of the Army and CRPF for counter-terrorism operations in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir. Around 2,100 CRPF personnel will be deployed in place of the Army at 21 locations in Udhampur and Kathua. Along with them, CoBRA teams, which specialize in jungle warfare, will also be present. According to officials, the Army’s presence in these camps had already decreased due to the movement of troops. Now, the CRPF will take over these locations, which will enable better coordination between the Army and paramilitary forces. The goal of security agencies is to gradually hand over the entire counter-terrorism grid of the Jammu region to the CRPF. Army infantry units will be removed from regular counter-terrorism duties and deployed along the LoC and the international border. This will allow the Army to focus on border security, while the CRPF will handle operations in the interior of Jammu. CRPF to launch operations against terrorists in forests According to officials, a decision was made in 2020 to fill the void created by the army’s movement to the border in the Jammu region by deploying CRPF personnel. As part of this plan, CRPF deployments are now underway in 21 camps in Udhampur and Kathua. Terrorist movements and hideouts have been discovered in the forests and difficult terrain of these areas. CRPF companies and Cobra teams, the CRPF’s specialized jungle warfare unit, will conduct counter-terrorism operations there. If the proposal is implemented, the responsibilities of the Army and the CRPF will become more clear. The CRPF will conduct counter-terrorism operations in the interior of Jammu, while the Army will strengthen border security. ​