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With the strategic Manali-Leh highway being on the hit list of the ‘Huji’ militants, the police and security agencies have beefed up security along the link. The highway has become the main route for carrying supplies to the border areas after the Kargil aggression.

The police has been alerted by the intelligence agencies that the highway can be targeted by militants in view of its strategic importance for the Army. There has been some specific information that this vital road link is on the hit list of ‘Huji’ militants.

Another factor that makes this link very sensitive is the fact that the region is flocked by foreign tourists, who start arriving here in August. It is a well-known fact that militants generally target foreigners to create media hype and get international coverage.

“No doubt, the Manali-Leh link is very important from the defence point of view, but the presence of foreigners along the trekking routes makes the area more vulnerable,” admitted a senior police official.

What is causing more anxiety to the police is the fact that most of the trekking routes in the state are further connected to Jammu and Kashmir, from where the possibility of infiltration of militants is very high.

Moreover, the Army cannot afford to get its convoy targeted as all its supplies are made through this route. “Ever since the Kargil aggression, the movement of Army supplies from the Jammu and Kashmir side has become almost negligible, and it is the Manali-Leh road that has assumed significance from the defence point of view,” police officials said.

As the route remains open for only around six months every year, a militant attack on this route can upset calculations of the Army. The Army has to ensure that all supplies reach the border areas before the road closes down with the first heavy snowfall.

SOURCE