Jammu region on target: Testing time for security and intelligence agencies to defeat the revival of terrorism; Silent working of terror ecosystems is a big threat

Jammu region on target: Testing time for security and intelligence agencies to defeat the revival of terrorism; Silent working of terror ecosystems is a big threat

SALIL RAINA

(POONCH TODAY NEWS)

POONCH/JAMMU: Although the security forces and the intelligence agencies have broken the bone of terrorism in the Kashmir valley to a large extent, terrorists seem to have shifted their operations towards the Jammu region. During the last three years, nearly 48 soldiers have sacrificed their lives for the nation in different terrorist attacks in the Jammu region.

The “Hit and Run” strategy of terrorists has posed a big challenge to the security forces, as in maximum attacks, terrorists were able to flee away by taking the shelter of thick forest cover and other advantages. In the Poonch and Rajouri districts, terrorists were able to announce their arrival strongly by scripting big attacks like the Chamrer and Bhatadurian areas, as nine army soldiers attained martyrdom in these attacks that were carried out on October 11, 2021, and October 16, 2021. After their attacks on the security forces, terrorists fled and are still untraceable. In the same month of October 2021, i.e., on the 30th of October, two soldiers sacrificed their lives in Nowshera. The nation again lost five army soldiers in the Darhal area of the Rajouri district in August 2022. After these attacks, there were clear indications that terrorists had shifted their operations towards Poonch and Rajouri districts. As there was huge discussion going on in the national media about the incidences of the revival of terrorism in the sensitive Rajouri-Poonch belt, terrorists stuck again in Dhangri, killing seven villagers, including two children of a particular community. Then, in the Bhata Dhurian area on April 20, 2023, terrorists struck again, in which five army soldiers sacrificed their lives for the motherland. The perpetrators of the Dhangri attack are still untraceable, even though the investigation was handed over to the NIA earlier. Moreover, ten army soldiers also attained martyrdom in the Kandi and Kalakote areas of Rajouri district. Later, on December 21, 2023, at Dera ki Gali, five army soldiers attained martyrdom as they were killed by the ambushed terrorists. In addition to some more attacks at different places in the Jammu region, including the latest one in Kathua and Doda districts, in which nine soldiers sacrificed their lives for the nation, security and intelligence agencies are having a tough time defeating the revival of terrorism in the Jammu region. Sources close to the intelligence agencies told “POONCH TODAY” that the silent working of the terror ecosystem has become a big threat as, due to limited inputs about the plans of terrorists, forces find it tough to plan hard operations against the terrorists. The recent incident of targeting religious places in the Reasi and Nagrota areas is also an indication that Pakistan wanted to flare up communal tension in the Jammu region. However, these incidents were tackled professionally by SSP Reasi Mohita Sharma and SSP Jammu Vinod Kumar. After Poonch, Rajouri, and Reasi districts, Samba, Kathua, and Doda districts have become new targets of terrorists, going by the latest incidents, and it would be interesting to see how the district police chiefs of Samba Vinay Sharma, SSP Kathua Anayat Ali Choudhary, and SSP Doda Javaid Iqbal will tackle this emerging internal security challenge. After the surge in terrorist attacks in the Jammu region, SSP Poonch, Yougal Manhas, also chaired a meeting of civil society in which he assured tough action against perpetrators of violence in any form. He also sought the full cooperation of the people in the war against terrorism. Although the Union government has given strong direction to the security forces to wreak havoc on the terrorists and their ecosystem, a big success against the terror ecosystem has not yet come. Although six terrorists were killed by the security forces in twin encounters in Kulgam, a lot needs to be done in all the sensitive districts of the Jammu region. The J&K police in the Kashmir region, army, and paramilitary forces have done a big job against terrorism after the abrogation of temporary articles 370 and 35-A, but the same output has not come yet in the Jammu region. The security forces and their intelligence agencies need to understand that the patterns of terrorism in Kashmir Valley and the Jammu region are entirely different, so to tackle the revival of terrorism in the Jammu region, a different type of strategy is needed. There is maximum proof that many people were involved in hawala funding in the Jammu region to support terrorist activities silently, but they have not been taken to task yet. The entire terror ecosystem is working silently, and this gives security agencies a tough time. A former intelligence chief also said that time and again, alone in the Poonch-Rajouri belt, there are a large number of OGWs and other terror support structures, what to call similar terror assets in other parts of the J&K.  Earlier, security forces were able to get information about terrorists and their support structures, but in recent years, it has been seen that security forces are finding it hard to get sufficient inputs, which leads to less strong coordination between different wings of the security agencies. The other day, DGP R.R. Swain talked about the Enemy Agents Ordinance and said that those supporting terrorists in any form, directly or indirectly, should be treated under this act, which is more harsh than UAPA. The DGP R.R. Swain, who, during his stint in CID, scripted many silent operations against terrorism with good output, now vowed to finish the remains of terrorism from the J&K UT. The DGP, R.R. Swain, also needs to pat the backs of meritorious police officers to encourage them for the future and should ensure two way communication with subordinate police officers to achieve the desired results because a good leader always forms better coordination with the team members. However, it’s a testing time for the Army, J&K police, paramilitary forces, and intelligence agencies to plan a big operation like “Sarp Vinash” against the revival of terrorism in the peaceful Jammu region, particularly in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, as Pakistan-backed terrorism and its ecosystem are trying hard to disturb the entire Jammu region, going by the attacks of the last few years in which nearly 48 soldiers have attained martyrdom for the nation.