Security forces have launched a major drive to track down at least ten terrorists of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), who infiltrated into Kashmir Valley ten days ago from Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (POK). Their three fellow ultras were killed in a gun battle when they carried out a suicide attack on a Jammu & Kashmir Police complex in Pulwama on August 26.
The attack on the police complex resulted in the death of eight security personnel, besides three terrorists and the operational commanders now fear that the other ten, who have fanned out into three districts of South Kashmir, will now go all out to target vital installations, including security forces camps, convoys and public figures. JeM is a Pakistan-based terrorist outfit like lashkar-e-Tayyeba (leT) and has of late become very active in the Valley.
Admitting that tracking the elusive terrorists was proving to be difficult, sources in the security establishment said on Saturday the ultras were hiding in the densely populated districts of Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama.
Any operation to ferret out these terrorists will be tough given the restive situation in these districts and possibility of collateral damage, said officials, adding Intelligence reports indicate that these JeM cadres are well-trained and highly motivated.
While local police were making all efforts to get real time Intelligence about the movement of these terrorists to enable the security forces to conduct operations, the Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the State police have further strengthened vigil around their establishments in South and North Kashmir, they said.
These measures included keeping a watch on the movement outside the camps, deploying more troops to plug gaps in perimeter security and launching "speculative" operations, they said. Elaborating upon the concept of "speculative" operations, they said the security forces conduct such drives on the assumption that terrorists may be hiding in some sensitive places.
While these operations may not yield in capture or killing of the terrorists, sources said pressure exerted by the security forces may drive the ultras to commit a mistake and come out of their hiding places be it safe houses provided by their sympathisers.
There are more than 300 big and small Army camps in South and North Kashmir besides several such establishments of the CRPF and the local police and officials said the JeM terrorists have the crucial advantage of element of surprise. "They can pick their target and attack it and we have to be prepared for such an exigency," sources said.
Explaining the dynamics of terrorist actions by foreign terrorists in the last few weeks, they said ever since security forces have launched 'hot chase' against the top commanders of different terrorist outfits, the local ultras mostly owing allegiance to Hizbul Mujahideen have gone in to hiding.
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir range, Muneer Khan recently confirmed, "The local terrorists have gone into hiding and we have reports that they have gone to higher reaches. They used to roam freely in build-up areas, which have now stopped. They have now given space to foreign terrorists, whether of Jaish (Jaish-e-Mohammad) or any other group," Khan said. The top cop also said one or two groups of Jaish were still operating in South Kashmir and fringes of Srinagar district even after the death of three ultras in the Pulwama encounter.
"(Because of) the successes which the security forces got by eliminating top commanders of leT and Hizbul Mujahideen, the terrorists have gone into hiding and are looking for other ways to survive," the IGP added.
Asked whether the security forces were on high alert after the Pulwama attack, the IGP said the forces had to remain alert always. "After the Pulwama incident, we have to remain more careful. As a human body goes into slumber, we, regularly, have to tell our jawans and officers to remain alert. It is part of our drill," he added.
On reports that terrorists have stopped using mobile phones to avoid getting traced, Khan said mobiles or not, they would be neutralised. "We are facing militancy since 1990. There was a phase when there were no mobiles, still terrorists were neutralized. Now, there is a phase wherein mobiles are there and terrorists are still being neutralised. The work does not stop. If one thing closes, another opens up and we work on it," Khan added.
Incidentally, his observations come in the backdrop of reports that more than 400 highly trained terrorists are ready to infiltrate into the Valley from more than 17 launch pads located close to the line of Control (loC) in PoK. Most of these terrorists belong to either leT or JeM and the Army has padded up its patrols on the lOC.
Besides this step, the Army has deployed four additional battalions (one battalion has 1,000 soldiers) in various districts of South Kashmir to sustain tempo of anti-terrorist operations. Officials said Pakistan Army and ISI will make desperate attempts in the coming weeks to push in as many terrorists as possible as only one and half months after left before snow blocks all the ingress routes on the loC. The CRPF has also deployed 50 additional companies (one company has 100 personnel) in Kashmir to add muscle to the counter-terrorist and counter-insurgency grid, they said.