CRPF set to deploy CoBRA battalion in Jammu and Kashmir to hunt down Pakistani terrorists

CRPF to form new CoBRA battalion for anti-terror operations in J&K

Making a tactical shift in their fight against terrorism, the top brass of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has now decided to induct elite commandos of the CoBRA battalion in the security grid to hunt down terrorists inside thickly forested areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

The commandos inducted in this unit are trained to undertake specific intelligence-based jungle warfare and guerrilla tactics operations.

Director General of the CRPF, Gyanendra Pratap Singh, announced this decision during the 86th Raising Day celebrations.

The DG CRPF said the central paramilitary force is raising a new Commando battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) for Jammu and Kashmir, as directed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Around 1200 personnel are part of the CoBRA battalion.

The proposal to induct the CoBRA battalion into the security grid was initially discussed during high-level security review meetings, and later it was approved by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

At present CoBRA sector is being commanded by Inspector General Danesh Rana, a senior IPS officer who has served in Jammu and Kashmir for a longer duration.

During these meetings, it was observed that CoBRA battalions, equipped for jungle warfare, can act as a force multiplier to effectively deal with the foreign terrorists who have carved out their safe hideouts inside jungles and execute targeted killings without coming on the radar of the security forces, especially in the Jammu region.

In recent months, Pakistan-based terrorists launched several operations targeting security convoys and patrolling parties to inflict maximum injuries and spread the reign of terror. In response, the security forces had to launch massive combing and search operations to track down the footprints of perpetrators behind the attack. The Pakistan-based terrorists relied heavily on their network of overground workers, and on the other hand, the security forces were not receiving adequate human intelligence to launch anti-terror operations to neutralise these hiding terrorists.

At present, CRPF has deployed its 10 CoBRA battalions in the Naxalite-hit areas of Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, and Meghalaya.

The J&K unit will be the 11th CoBRA battalion.

The commando unit is equipped with modern assault weapons, communication, and surveillance gadgets.

At present, quick reaction teams of the CRPF are already participating in anti-terror operations along with the Special Operations group of the Jammu and Kashmir police and the Indian Army.

In several areas, CRPF personnel remain deployed in the outer cordon to plug the escape routes of terrorists and deal with the local masses during the engagement of troops with the anti-national elements.

After its formal induction into the multi-tier security grid, the CoBRA Unit will be tasked to undertake operations in the forested areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

In 2023, some CoBRA companies were sent to the Kashmir valley for training purposes, but were not deployed for any action.

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