Amir Tantray
Jammu, Jul 19: The increased terror incidents in Jammu region has called for a revisit the strategy of security forces to deal with terrorists who are no longer staying in habituated areas but are preferring to remain inside forests where they have natural hideouts.
These foreign terrorists have the history of living in forests and they are trained like that to operate in Jammu and Kashmir.
For the last few months many foreign terrorists have entered Jammu region and they have resorted to unprovoked attacks on security forces in different areas including an attack on pilgrims in Reasi district.
But apart from Gundoh, where three terrorists were gunned down for the security forces in a day-long operation on June 26, terrorists continue to remain at large and forces haven’t had much success in eliminating them.
Former Director General of Police (DGP) J&K, S.P. Vaid said that the “deep state of Pakistan has changed the strategy and terrorists operating in Jammu region have also come with a changed strategy.” “Terrorists have changed their strategy and it is a fact that forces don’t get much information about them. They come and attack forces like what happens in mountain warfare and flee from the area without suffering any casualty in the retaliation. No information comes from the public as they don’t give any chance to people to collect information about them,” he said.
“As terrorists have changed the strategy, forces also need to change and the traditional system will not work. Terrorists will ambush if forces go around in vehicles on bad roads. Forces have to move on foot and give a surprise element to terrorists. What forces did in Kashmir can’t work here and they have to change. Pakistan has given terrorists modern weapons like the M4 carbine of America with night vision which works as sniper and they have Chinese-armour piercing bullets or steel-coated bullets,” the former DGP maintained.
Since the fresh wave of terrorism in Jammu region, foreign terrorists are hiding in forests by avoiding contact with the local population.
Commenting on this, Vaid said, “They are all from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa area of Pakistan which borders Afghanistan and they have a history of living in forests.”
The former DG said that when it looked like things have improved after abrogation of Article 370 and operation all out in Kashmir valley, Pakistani deep state changed the strategy and sent the terrorists to Jammu region which has a vast area where even a battalion in one forest doesn’t count.
“Firstly, there were security gaps after the forces were withdrawn from many areas of Jammu region and they were sent either to Ladakh or Kashmir and taking advantage of this terrorists attacked different areas of Jammu region. Secondly, their attacks are aimed at spreading forces as Jammu region has a vast area and is a mountainous one. Thirdly, BJP’s claim of turning things around in Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370, this balloon has been punctured and even Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti can also attack the government on this,” Vaid added.
