Month after Pahalgam: Difficult terrain, change in militant strategy hamper hunt for attackers

A month has passed since the Pahalgam terror attack, yet security forces have not been able to eliminate the terrorists responsible for killing 25 tourists and a local ‘ponywala’.

Following the incident, massive combing operations were launched in the forests of south Kashmir to track down the perpetrators of the Baisaran attack. However, the efforts have yielded little success so far.

The current outcome stands in contrast to the aftermath of the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing, when security forces neutralized Kamran alias Ghazi Rasheed — believed to be the mastermind behind the attack — within 100 hours.

Security sources say that while efforts to hunt down the Pahalgam attackers are ongoing, changes in militant strategy over recent years — particularly a shift toward jungle warfare — have contributed to the delay in locating and eliminating the terrorists.

Counter-insurgency officials in the Valley cite multiple factors that differentiate the current situation from the Pulwama attack, in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives. Officials point out that the forest cover in parts of south Kashmir, along with the mountainous terrain connecting it to the Jammu region, is so dense that visibility in some areas drops to less than five meters.

“The forest is so thick that it’s difficult to see beyond a few meters,” a police officer said. “There are places where even sunlight doesn’t penetrate the tree cover.”

Sources added that the dense vegetation also hampers the effectiveness of surveillance tools like drones, which struggle to navigate the terrain — giving the militants a strategic advantage.

Unlike the Pulwama operation, which was carried out in urban areas, the Pahalgam attackers retreated into dense forests that offer natural shelter and make tracking more difficult. Additionally, officers note that modern militants are leaving no digital footprints and are using discreet communication methods that are extremely hard to intercept.

“They are making minimal or no use of traditional communication devices. Even if we manage to break into their communication channels, we are often unable to pinpoint their exact location,” an officer said.

Despite the challenges, security forces say efforts are ongoing. According to officials, the attackers include two Pakistani nationals and a local militant affiliated with the Lashkar-e-Taiba outfit. They have been identified as Adil Hussain Thokar of Anantnag district, and Ali Bahi alias Talha Bahi, and Hashim Musa alias Suleman — both from Pakistan.

In addition to large-scale combing operations, over two thousand individuals have been detained in a sweeping crackdown. These efforts are beginning to show results. Last week, security forces killed six terrorists from two different outfits in separate anti-terror operations. One of these encounters took place in the forests of Shopian.

“Troops on the ground are doing everything possible to hunt down the terrorists. Multiple agencies are working together, and we remain hopeful of neutralising the attackers soon,” said a senior officer based in south Kashmir.