Army faces new wave of terrorism
From Girja Shankar Kaura
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 14 — Lack of intelligence inputs on the new trend of terrorism, which the troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir has been witnessing in the post-Kargil war era, has put the Army on the backfoot with ever increasing number of casualties.

While the columns of Indian Army deployed in the Valley and elsewhere in Jammu and Kashmir have been facing a renewed wave of terrorism, the lack of intelligence input on the terrorists and their game plan has been costing us dear. Not only does the Army have no intelligence on the possible whereabouts of the militants, who are more foreign mercenaries now, but also on where and when this committed lot would carry out its next act of terrorism.

The recent attacks on security forces encampments at Handwara, Bandipur and Badamibagh have clearly exposed the chinks in the security cover available in the state. The new tactics, which reflect the change in guerrilla warfare, being employed by the militants has had the Army officials quite perturbed.

The officials agree that while they were prepared for a spurt in militancy following the victory in Kargil, the new trend being adopted by the militants has caught the security forces on the wrong foot. Not only are the militants now better equipped but were also fanatical and better trained.

The officials admit that the security forces have been facing a greater number of casualties than in the past and that too only because of the hit and run tactics being adopted now. Unlike the past when the militants were locals and not equipped properly, the new batches were better trained, better equipped and more fundamentalists.

According to reports, while the Army had information that Pakistan had managed to push a large number of militants, specially the Osama bin Laden-backed foreign mercenaries, into India during the Kargil conflict, it had no reports of any sort on the approximate number who had crossed over under the cover of firing. Besides there were also no reports available on the type of arms and ammunition which the new batch could be equipped with.

The Army officials said reports from the field clearly pointed to the lack of intelligence inputs, which was putting the security forces in a disadvantage. Not only has the number of security men being lost for every militant killed, increased, but with the militants preferring to die than to be taken in alive, there was a great gap in the intelligence inputs with the security forces.

Officials here also admit that the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, specially the Army personnel deployed at higher reaches and at more attack-prone points could face greater problems if the intelligence inputs did not improve. They also have no doubts that the militants, now more fanatical, would intensify the attacks and could also go beyond the valley.

According to available reports following the recent attacks, which have clearly reflected the change in strategy, there was increased security cover at all the vital installations all over the state. Besides with Lashkar-e-Toiba militants, at a recent congregation, vowing to launch a jehad against India, word had been sent across the country to increase security at vital installations.

Army officials here have no doubt that the security forces deployed in Jammu and Kashmir would be facing a hard winter ahead. The reports said there were more than 2000 foreign mercenaries holed at various places in the state. This, the officials, say is just an estimate. However their number could be larger and it was expected that as the winter would set in further the number of attacks would also go up further.

What the officials fear is that the Army could in the near future face another Sri Lanka type situation, where India suffered a large number of casualties with its men not being equipped with to face guerrilla warfare tactics. By the time specialised training was imparted to security personnel stationed in the state, the number of men lost could go up tremendously.

The officials also fear that if the high profile attacks like that at the Badamibagh cantonment, could also have a demoralising affect on the armed forces. In the attack on the 15 Corps headquarters the militants killed the Army PRO present there. It could have been the Corp Commander or any other senior officer, a senior Army officer pointed out.

The Army is also fearing more attacks in the region south of Pir Panjal, that is the Akhnoor-Jammu sector. With severe winter in the higher reaches, the militants could shift their attention in this region. But the Army would not be taking any chances and all forward posts in Kargil would remain occupied through the hard winter days ahead.

The Army officials feel that with the militants being equipped with highly sophisticated weapons it was time to have a relook at the strategy being adopted in Jammu and Kashmir. The Army will also have to change its style of operations specially with the militants getting bolder and taking on the security forces in a much different manner than in the past.