Ultras behind attacks could be Pakistan ex-army men

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, July 16

Details emerging from Monday’s terrorist attack in Doda reveal that a patrol party of 15 Army soldiers was returning after a search operation when they were ambushed.

The four soldiers, who were killed in action, were in the lead of the search party and all of them were hit in the face, which were uncovered. All troops were wearing latest bullet-proof jacket and helmets.

The minute details are part of an analysis by the Army.

Three things have, so far, emerged, sources said—the terrorists hiding in the dense forests in the Jammu region are of foreign origin; they are trained in Army tactics like hiding, ambushing and targeting the unprotected face of troops; they could be ex-soldiers of an Army and are here as mercenaries.

Terrorists hiding in the dense jungles are not the ‘Fidayeen’, who would engage with the Army or security forces. “The tactics to hide in jungles is typical of highly trained soldiers who can survive for days without contact with outside world,” a functionary said.

The terrorists could very well be mercenaries, who are Pakistan Army ex-soldiers and are here to ‘keep the pot boiling’ and have operated in similar terrain on their side. The terrain in Jammu region is riverine and the boundary with Pakistan has many rivulets that are in spate in the monsoon, allowing opportunity for infiltration.

Also the mountains in Jammu division provide for a terrain that has many hiding places and there is no possibility to operate a drone.