Army operations in Kashmir were heading towards a point where other processes, especially political ones, could take over so that soldiers could return to the borders, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of strategic 15 Corps Lieutenant General Anil Kumar Bhatt said.
Speaking exclusively to The Hindu in Srinagar, Lt. Gen. Bhatt said, “Results of operations never come in the short term... but we are making a headway. The Army can always create conditions of peace and tranquillity for other processes, most importantly the political process, to take over. Presently, we are reaching there. In the long-term strategy, any Army would prefer to do its primary role of protecting the borders.”
On the growing number of local youth joining militants this year and the killing of 37 militants in November — the highest for any month in the ongoing offensive — the officer said the change in tactics was yielding results.
“One, there is cooperation from people. Two, we shortened operations and finished them in the night. The idea is not to be get involved in crowd control. It’s equally important for us to avoid civilian casualties. We have slowly learnt our lessons,” he said.
He said the build up of local terrorists, even two years after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhwan Wani’s killing, was an area of concern. “There is a bench strength terrorists maintain and fill it with people who are on the sidelines waiting to get recruited. The social media has been a challenge to us to this end.... Photos of youth posing with guns posted online is done as part of strategy, so that the door to return [to civilian life] is shut.”
Stating that the launching pads for militants in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir did see a dip during elections in that country, Lt. Gen. Bhatt said, “It has increased since, as 250 to 300 terrorists are waiting to infiltrate. What they (Pakistan) speak publicly has not changed anything on the ground.”
Pak. influence
He said Pakistan has succeeded in exploiting the “situation of alienation in south Kashmir” to fill up their ranks with emotionally vulnerable youths.
“The trend has waned considerably in the past two months. It had reached 24 recruits a month in June-July,” said the Army commander.
“What is also turning the tide against the terrorists is that a lot of people have been at the receiving end of the terrorist atrocities of worst kind and are refusing to provide shelter to them,” Lt. Gen. Bhatt added.
He said targeting policemen or security forces personnel at home or during leave “was a new low on the part of terror groups”.
“There is an attempt by the terrorists to compensate their loss of capabilities by targeting innocents and unarmed, and adopt the methods of ISIS and Al-Qaeda for infusing fear,” said Lt. Gen. Bhatt.
However, the Army will abide by its rule not to go after “terrorists’ families or non-armed civilians”, he added
He said approximately 300 terrorists were still operating in the Valley, with 175-180 in South Kashmir, while 57 had surrendered or been apprehended this year.
Impact of IS
The IS, the officer said, has a touch of glamour attached it. “IS is a matter of great concern for the separatists’ Joint Resistance Leadership. It has not picked up to the other aspirations like azadior independence or joining Pakistan. IS strength remains in single digits,” he said.
Lt. Gen. Bhatt said there was no case where the Army’s soldiers crossed the line or violated Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) during operations this year, even in the incidents of Kulgam and Shopian, which left seven civilians dead in operations.
“There was no crossing of line. It has been a result of cross firing or where the crowd posed a danger to the life of soldiers or in cases of grave provocations. Houses are destroyed as a last measure. During the operations in November, only in 30% cases houses were damaged. In many cases trapped terrorists use the tactic to divert attention,” he said.