NEW DELHI: The Army has launched a training programme for the Village Defence Guards (VDG) in Jammu and Kashmir amid the ongoing counter-terrorism operation in the higher reaches of Chenab valley.According to the Army, around 15 Village Defence Guards, including women volunteers, are undergoing intensive training in handling automatic rifles, minor tactics, self-defence, bunker construction and repelling enemy attacks, they said.

Officials told news agency PTI that the raining is being conducted at Shingini panchayat of Balassa, around 90 km from the Doda district headquarters. It aims to equip volunteers with the necessary skills to protect their villages and act as a first line of defence, especially in vulnerable areas.

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The move complements the ongoing operation by the Army, police and paramilitary forces in the higher reaches to track down and neutralise the terrorists who had managed to infiltrate into Chenab valley, especially Doda and Kishtwar districts, a couple of years back, officials added.The VDGs welcomed the training and the recent upgradation of their weaponry. They expressed gratitude to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for providing self-loading rifles (SLRs), replacing the older .303 rifles, which they said, has significantly boosted their confidence.

"This is a major programme bringing together members from 17 Village Defence Groups. We are being trained in weapon handling, bunker construction and self-defence. Receiving such training at our doorstep is highly appreciable," Surinder Singh, a VDG member from Shingani, said.He requested the government to provide more automatic weapons to the members, recalling the frequent terror attacks in the region during the early 1990s.Another VDG member, Rajesh Kumar Thakur from Gauala village, said the training by the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police has instilled a sense of confidence."Earlier, we only had .303 rifles. After receiving automatic weapons, our confidence has increased, and we now feel capable of defending our villages," he said.This comes as he Army has intensified its counter-terrorism operations across the Kishtwar and Doda districts amid the ongoing Chillai Kalan — the 40-day bone-chilling winter period — in Jammu and Kashmir.According to sources, various intelligence agencies asses that there are approximately 30 to 35 Pakistani terrorists currently in the Jammu region.Inputs gathered over the past few months suggest that these groups, finding themselves cornered by successful counter-terror operations, have shifted deeper into higher and middle mountain reaches of the region — areas now devoid of habitation. These terrorists are believed to be seeking temporary winter hideouts to evade detection and avoid direct confrontation with security troops, they added.Meanwhile, the Army and security forces have also adopted a proactive winter posture, establishing temporary bases and surveillance posts deep within snow-covered areas to maintain continuous pressure on potential terrorist hideouts.