Terrorists hide among the people of Kashmir and then strike after orders from Pakistan: report

Last update:October 27, 2024, 17:32 CEST

The terrorists remain hidden among the local population until they receive information from their Pakistani handlers on when and where to launch an attack.

Special Operations Group (SOG) comprising J&K Police personnel during a search operation on the Srinagar-Ladakh highway following a terrorist attack in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir. (PHOTO: PTI)

The investigation into the October 20 terror attack at Gagangir in Jammu and Kashmir’s Gaderbal district has found significant intelligence gaps and undetected infiltration along the Line of Control (LoC) since the last one year, officials said on Sunday.

The attack, which killed seven people, including a local doctor and two workers from Bihar, has raised concerns over an unreported trend of local youth joining militant groups in Kashmir during this period.

The attack on the Z-Morh tunnel construction site involved two terrorists, one identified as a local youth from Kulgam in south Kashmir who joined the terrorist group in 2023, the other was believed to be from Pakistan.

Security officials have expressed concern about the rapid radicalization of local youth, stressing the need to improve human intelligence (HUMINT) capabilities to identify them.

In light of the recent changes in the leadership of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Indian Army’s Fifteenth Corps, there has been renewed emphasis on strengthening HUMINT to prevent local youth from falling into terrorism.

The terrorists entered the construction site on October 20 and opened fire for about ten minutes before fleeing into the nearby jungles. The local attacker was armed with an AK rifle, while his accomplice had an American M-4 rifle.

Officials indicated that a local terrorist may have been involved in facilitating the infiltration of a second attacker with his group, who is believed to have crossed the Line of Control from the Turail sector in March this year.

Since December last year, intelligence agencies have been receiving reports of infiltration attempts from various regions, including Tulail, Gurez, Machil and Gulmarg in North Kashmir, but the army denies the same due to lack of confirmation.

Similarly, the terrorists involved in Thursday’s incident at Bota Pathri in the Gulmarg region, which killed two soldiers and two army porters, are believed to have been hiding in the higher reaches of Afrawat since early August, officials said.

Previously, security agencies have struggled to deal with the so-called “hidden threat” posed by terrorists using “conservation and consolidation” tactics.

This strategy involves infiltrators remaining dormant among the local population until they receive orders from their handlers in Pakistan.

Officials believe recent month-long assembly elections across the Union territory may have prompted these groups to keep a low profile due to tighter security measures and increased international scrutiny.

The shift in terrorist operations has highlighted the urgent need for enhanced surveillance to thwart foreign mercenaries from carrying out their plans.

Security forces have noted that the infiltration and recruitment of local youth is increasingly taking place through online platforms.

Terrorists now rely on encrypted messaging services such as Telegram and Mastodon, which are already banned in some districts such as Rajouri and Poonch, for covert communication and operational coordination.

As authorities remain on high alert, the challenge of gathering actionable intelligence at the grassroots level remains, underscoring the critical need for a comprehensive approach to combating terrorism in the region, they said.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a news agency feed – PTI)

Location:

Srinagar/New Delhi