Jammu, Oct 13: Pakistan is raising 'special militant groups' to target mountainous terrains along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir by imparting them training in high altitude mountains and snow bound warfare in federally administered tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, top security force sources said. Militants drawn from Lashkar-e-Toiba, Harkat-ul-Jehadi-Islami, al-Badr and tribals of North West Frontier Province and Fata were being given practical training in high altitude mountain warfare in Hamw schools at Wazirstan, Khyber, Bajaur and Kurram in Fata, the sources told a news agency here.

Run by Pakistan's Northern Frontier Light Infantry (NFLI) brigade, these mountain warfare schools are training "militants in guise of soldiers drawn from Gilgat, NWFP and Fata for the last four months to hoodwink international community," they said. These training schools are being financed by drug barons of golden crescent, popularly known as 'Maliks of Fata', who had extended financial help to warring Afghan groups during the war with Russia as well as Talibans, churned by Markaz-e-Dawaza, the sources said.

"The aim of training militants in special high altitude, mountain and snow bound warfare is aimed to target the mountainous and snow-bound terrains along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir during the coming winter," they said, adding "they may be used to carry out special operations like Kargil intrusion in Jammu and Kashmir hills."

Bureau Report