Afghan war veterans behind strikes

SRINAGAR: The recent terror strikes in Jammu and Kashmir suggest that the attackers are highly trained and they may be Afghan war veterans and retired Pakistani soldiers, security experts say.

There has been a surge in militant attacks in Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Kathua and Doda districts of Jammu region, in which at least 11 security personnel have been killed. On Saturday, a soldier was killed and four others, including a captain, were injured as the Army foiled an attack by Pakistan’s Border Action Team (BAT) in the Kamakari sector of J&K’s Kupwara district.

BAT generally comprises special forces personnel of the Pakistan Army and terrorists. On July 15, four army personnel, including a captain, were killed in Doda district.

Former J&K police chief SP Vaid said militants are ambushing the army men and then disappearing in the forest areas. “The footprint of these attacks makes it clear that the attackers are not ordinary militants. They are highly professional and well trained,” Vaid said.

He said people from Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, who operated in Afghanistan, are being pushed in. “They are Afghan war veterans and they are being pushed into J&K to carry out terror attacks and disturb peace in the region”.

The former police chief said when the Taliban conquered Afghanistan, the fighters became free and they are being diverted to J&K by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

“It took them (ISI) two years to push them into J&K and now they have sneaked in and are carrying out the attacks. They come, attack and slip away,” he said. “The militants are using US-made M-4 rifle and Chinese armour-piercing bullets,” Vaidya, calling the situation in J&K alarming. Army’s former northern command chief Lt Gen Deepender Singh Hooda said all attacks that have taken place in Jammu region have been carried out by Pakistani terrorists, who have infiltrated from across the border.

“There is speculation that they are retired Pakistani soldiers. Army’s Northern commander and the army chief have also said it,” Hooda said. “Militants are well-trained and well-equipped, and they have been sent specifically to carry out attacks in the Jammu region,” he said.

According to him, there is a change of tactics by the militants. “Earlier a group of 3-4 militants used to carry out fidayeen attacks and fight till they die. Now there is complete change in tactics as they carry out ambushes and then disappear,” Hooda said, adding that security forces also need to change their tactics to tackle the new militancy in Jammu region.

“When you have a new challenge, you have to respond and look for new ways of doing things. We have to redefine our strategy. We have to increase the number of troops in these areas and also re-energise the counter-terrorism grid,” Hooda said.

Vaid also said the counter-infiltration grid should be further strengthened to prevent intrusion of militants from across the border. Hooda said,

“We were focusing too much on technology. We need to go back to the old idea of human intelligence. We have to re-energise the local support. Militancy in the Jammu region was driven out due to local support. The Gujjar and Bakerwal community has helped a lot in the past and we need to re-energise the contacts among the communities.”

‘Militants from Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’

Former J&K police chief SP Vaid said people from Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, who operated in Afghanistan, are being pushed in. “They are Afghan war veterans and they are being pushed into J&K to carry out terror attacks and disturb peace in the region”. The former police chief said when the Taliban conquered Afghanistan, the fighters became free and they are being diverted to J&K by Pakistan’s ISI