A sense of unease hangs in the air of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch, even at a bustling marketplace. The mountains overlooking the border town are hiding a troubling reality of Pir Panjal region -- highly trained Pakistani terrorists holed up in the green forest cover.
Though the army has intensified patrolling after the recent spike in terrorist attacks, searching these dense forests is a challenging task.
After a gap of 18 years, terrorism has resurfaced in Poonch and Rajouri. The first major attack on the army was carried out in the forests of Surankote in October 2021.
Since then, the troubling reality of Pir Panjal mountains has upset all security calculations about Jammu and Kashmir. The situation has worsened after the scrapping of Article 370, which granted it special status under the Constitution.
The recent attacks, including the targeting of pilgrims in Reasi, have evoked a strong response from the Central government.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked security forces to deploy their full spectrum of anti-terror capabilities, Union Home Minister Amit Shah called a high-level security review meeting to deal with the challenge.
On Ground Zero, the priority is securing the Hindu community in Pir Panjal and Chenab Valley regions. It is these areas that terrorists targeted and massacred many Hindus before terrorism was eliminated from the region two decades ago. The police say terrorists are trying to create a situation similar to the 1990s.
"For 10 years, between 1995 and 2005, when terrorists tried to destabilize Jammu, Rajouri, Rajouri, Doda and Kishtwar, security forces with the help people completely destroyed them," said RR Swain, the police chief of Jammu and Kashmir.
"The enemy is again trying to pose a similar challenge. We are determined to give them a fitting reply. We will kill them one by one," he added.
The police have revamped the village Defence Guards – village residents trained and armed by the government -- sensitising them about the current situation.. Most of 28,000 Village Defence Guards in Doda, Poonch and Rajouri regions are drawn from the Hindu community.
"The police are telling the VDGs to remain alert and inform them whenever they notice any suspicious moment," a police officer said.
In 2003, a successful joint operation by the army and police, with the unwavering support of locals, eliminated militancy. But since 2021, there has been a disturbing resurgence. The deadly attacks that started in Poonch and Rajouri, have now spread to the Doda region.
Sayed Ahfadul Mujtaba, a former police officer who led the operation to eliminate terrorism from Rajouri in 2003, said resurgence of terror in the region can be defeated only if the local population is on the side of government.
"As police officers, we are not dealing with territory. We are dealing with the population. And if more people are on your side, the task becomes easier. There was a need and there is a need to do comprehensive policing to carry all the people along so the flow of information comes to you," he said.
The Shadow of Terror
Since October 2021, 39 soldiers and 20 civilians have been killed in the region.
Sources say at least three to four terrorist groups are operating in the Pooch and Rajouri region and almost an equal number in and around Doda.
In November, the army said 25-30 Pakistani terrorists are operating in Poonch and Rajouri. None was killed so far in the region.
The terrorists in the area appear to be well trained in jungle warfare and are using state-of-the-art weapons including US-made M4 carbine and armour piercing bullets. The micro- satellite communication system which is hard to intercept has also made it to their arsenal.
After a major attack on Special Forces in November, the army said the terrorists have been trained in several countries, including Afghanistan and Pakistan. They managed to get away after every attack except on November 5, when the army killed the two terrorists involved in the attack that cost the lives of five Special Forces personnel.
"It took us time to eliminate them but our brave soldiers killed these terrorists," said Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, a senior army officer.
Among the fallen commandos of Special Forces was Hawaldar Abdul Majid. His family – residents of Ajot village on the Line of Control in Poonch – said they are proud of his sacrifice and worry about the repeated infiltration.
"How come these terrorists infiltrate so easily? Despite fencing of border and large troops deployed, how can they infiltrate from Pakistan frequently and carry out attacks here," said Fazal Choudhary, a relative of fallen commando.
Officials say the series of attacks on the armed forces and innocent civilians in Jammu region indicate a clear intent to escalate the situation and create communal strife.
The cross-border drug trafficking, which has become a serious challenge over the last four years, is also seen as a key reason of the resurgence of terrorism. Dealing with this challenge could prove more complex than it appears.
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