Kathua emerges as a new terrorism hotspot

Kathua becomes new terror hotspot amid rising infiltration

Kathua district is fast emerging as one of the hot spots of terrorism in the backdrop of frequent incidents of terrorist violence and the unchecked infiltration of Pakistan-based terrorists via the International border of the Jammu frontier.

In the last year, the pattern of terrorist violence in the region suggested that the Pakistan-based handlers have once again focused all their energies on pushing small groups of infiltrators inside the Indian territory to execute the terror plot via the same route.

A surge in infiltration attempts by heavily armed terrorists along the International Border (IB) in the Jammu sector has become a major cause of concern for the security establishment ahead of the long summer season.

In the past, Pakistan-based infiltrators preferred the traditional routes of infiltration via Kathua to reach the higher reaches of Udhampur, Reasi, Doda, and Kishtwar before approaching the Kashmir valley.

Compared to the frontier districts of Rajouri and Poonch, where the Indian Army is deployed to guard the line of control, Kathua district is considered a safer bet.

In the absence of a counterinsurgency grid in the region, the Border Security Force and the Jammu and Kashmir Police are directly responsible for preventing cross-border infiltration.

In addition, the vast stretches of ravine areas come in handy to the infiltrators. In the absence of regular patrolling in the area, the local guides from across the border help these armed infiltrators cross the ravine patches before sneaking into the Indian territory.

Though efforts have been made to increase the presence of foot soldiers and enhance the use of digital surveillance along the International border, sometimes the fatigue factor and complacency set in and prove counterproductive.

On March 23, when a local couple first detected the presence of a group of foreign terrorists in the Sanyal area of Hiranagar, a brief encounter broke out.

However, in the absence of mobilisation of forces in real time, the terrorists managed to slip away and ran towards the Billawar area after crossing the National Highway.

After launching a massive combing and search operation to track down the footprints of foreign terrorists for four long days, the joint team of security forces failed to achieve a major headway.

After a brief gap, another villager, after spotting the movement of suspicious persons in the area, informed the police about the presence of terrorists near the Safina village of Juthana under the Rajbagh Police station.

Ironically, the group of terrorists once again managed to trek to the upper reaches of Kathua and were exposed when the local police teams led by the Special Operations group launched a search operation to pin them down.

Security experts believed if the Kathua had an adequate presence of the Rashtriya Rifles component, fully equipped to handle the CI operations, it could easily defeat Pakistan’s game plan of spreading the arc of terror across the Jammu region ahead of the peak summer season.

In the light of these developments, some of the veteran army officers have started proposing a fresh security audit in the region and further augmenting the strength of the Rising Star Corps to tackle the real threat emanating from across the border with Pakistan.

The veterans are also stressing on exposing the network of Over ground workers in the region. Emphasising the need to improve human intelligence, these veterans claimed it is high time to identify the vulnerable pockets where these OGWs are flourishing and extend logistics support to them to freely operate in the region.

Recent killings of civilians in the Billawar area of Kathua have also come to light, where the police authorities have so far failed to identify the killers behind the mysterious deaths.

Based on the inputs collected during the investigation, the security agencies have identified places in Kathua, Udhampur, Doda, Kishtwar, Reasi, Rajouri, Poonch, and some parts of Kashmir Valley where the terrorists, mainly associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed outfits, are taking shelter.

“We have launched a massive crackdown on overground workers aiding the terrorists to infiltrate inside the Indias territory,” a senior security official said.

According to the recent assessment made by various intelligence and security agencies active on ground zero, over 50 terrorists have managed to sneak into India and set up their bases in the upper reaches of the Pir Panjal range over the past year.

Clear instructions have been given to the security agencies to eliminate terrorists in the Jammu region’s upper reaches.

According to the official, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been asked to conduct raids at the premises of the OGW and terrorist sympathizers.

Based on information regarding the infiltration of active terrorists into Indian territory from across the border, the NIA carried out multiple searches across Jammu last week. The raids were conducted in 12 locations in Jammu, including the premises of alleged terrorist sympathizers.

“Among the premises which were raided include the homes of overground workers (OGWs) linked to the newly-formed offshoots and affiliates of banned terrorist organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM),” the agency later said.

Following the investigation, it was revealed that besides providing logistical support, food, shelter, and money, the overground workers and sympathizers were involved in guiding the terrorists through the difficult terrains of Jammu province to ensure their safe passage.

Briefing media persons after paying homage to the jawans of Jammu and Kashmir police, Director General of Jammu and Kashmir police Nalin Prabhat said on Friday that four jawans of Jammu and Kashmir police have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty while gunning down two Pakistani terrorists in the Safina village of Juthana forests.

He said, The intention is clear, the motive is clear, Pakistan and Pakistani terror outfits will not be spared.

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