Terror spreading to Jammu districts
There has been a rise in the number of terrorist attacks and terrorism-related incidents in Jammu & Kashmir in recent months. More attacks on security personnel, as also more counter-terror operations, are being reported. Four army personnel, including an officer, were killed in Doda district on July 16. It is the sixth major terrorist attack reported from the Jammu region this year. Five army personnel were killed last fortnight when their convoy was attacked near Kathua town, again in Jammu district. Nine pilgrims were killed and many others injured in an attack on a bus in Reasi district last month on the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi was being sworn in for a third term. The attack on pilgrims marked a new turn. Whether the incidents are ambushes or part of counter-terror operations, casualties are mounting.
One important aspect of the new situation is the shift in terror from the Valley to the Jammu region. Most of the incidents in the last few months were reported from the wider Jammu region, which did not figure on the terrorism map until recently. This could be because of operational, tactical, or other reasons. There is tighter surveillance and security in the Valley where militancy was more active. More infiltration of trained terrorists is being reported in the rainy season, and it is likely to increase in the winter months. Some say terrorists are now more focused on the Jammu region as some troops have been shifted to the LoAC (Line of Actual Control) in Ladakh. Terrorists also possess improved weapons and high-tech tools. The terrorists and their backers may also have stepped up their activities to prevent a return to normalcy after the Assembly elections, expected to be held before September 30, or to scupper the elections as such.
Kashmir Tigers, a shadow group of the Pakistan-backed terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad, has claimed responsibility for some attacks. Lashkar-e-Taiba is also reportedly trying to increase its presence in the Jammu region. The security forces and the government have the task of controlling the situation. There is increasing concern in Jammu and other parts of India over the deteriorating situation. Modi has told the officials and the security forces to use all their capabilities to deal with it. Action at the community level is also essential to tackle all linkages that militancy and terrorism may have.