In a departure from its annual course of action, the 4,000 troops that had been deployed for the security of the Amarnath Yatra and later engaged in anti-terror operations will not be recalled from the Kashmir Valley any time soon. This is being done to ensure no let-up in the ongoing operations. Normally, troops deployed for the Yatra are withdrawn after the culmination of the annual pilgrimage and before the commencement of winters.
Having decided to maintain the tempo of operations during the winter months till March to keep the militants on the run, the Army has started redeploying the additional troops in the hinterland especially in South and North Kashmir, sources said here on Saturday. Explaining the objective of this move, officials said availability of more troops will allow the Army to increase its reach even in remote areas thereby providing a sense of security to the local population on the one hand and “shake out the terrorists from their comfort zone,” on the other hand. It means that 24X7 operations will force the ultras to move from their hideouts thereby increasing the chances of nabbing or neutralizing them, they said. In fact, the troops have already fanned out in their designated zones in the trouble prone South Kashmir and have started patrolling the link roads which were earlier not manned during the winter months. It used to enable the militants to move freely and evade the security net. All the four districts of South Kashmir like Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian and Anantnag are densely populated. Militants take refuge in safe houses provided by their sympathizers and lie low till the harsh weather is over.
Similarly, some units from the additional battalions have also taken positions in the sparsely populated North Kashmir dotted with rugged mountainous terrain. Here, the militants hide in caves and forests. They avoid movement as their footprints in snow are detected by the security forces. This time round, the operational commanders have asked the troops to seek out the terrorists in the caves and other hideouts, sources said.
Moreover, availability of more troops will enable the Army to further strengthen security of its camps and other installations as intelligence reports indicate that terrorists will try to carry out 'fidayeen(suicide)' assaults.
In fact, security forces are alarmed over the fact that local militants have turned 'fidayeen' as seen in the attack on the Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF) camp in Pulwama on December 31. A 17-year-old youth, son of a Jammu and Kashmir policeman, was one of 'fidayeen.' It was for the first time in the last 20 odd years that a local militant was motivated to become a suicide attacker. The last such attack took place in the late 90s on an Army camp.
Admitting that if more local militants turn into 'fidayeens,' it will become a “big problem” in the months to come, officials said security forces have to be on their guard. The measures include area domination patrols in the vicinity of army camps and other such establishments, securing National Highway-44 and all the link roads to it. This is being done to ensure that suicide attackers do not target army convoys, they added.