Tactical change as terrorists resorting to jungle warfare: Former J&K top cop

SRINAGAR: As anti-militancy operations are going on in the forest areas of at least five districts of Jammu and Kashmir, former J&K police chief S P Vaid opined that militants have changed strategy and are now resorting to jungle warfare and carrying out hit and run attacks on security forces and ‘disappearing’. He, however, questioned that amid heightened security how militants were getting supplies and replenishments.

Talking to this newspaper, former J&K police chief S P Vaid said it is obvious that militants have changed their strategy. “From urban militancy, they are now resorting to jungle warfare. This is quite evident the way militants have carried out attacks on security forces and engaged in encounters in dense forest areas of Jammu region and now recently in Kokernag in south Kashmir,” he said.

Vaid said it seems these militants are trained in jungle warfare and how to inflict casualties and “disappear”. “There might be some Pakistani regulars in these militants also”.

On Saturday, an encounter took place between militants and security men in the Kokernag forest area in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district in which two army men and a civilian were killed and an army jawan and a civilian injured.

Currently, security forces have launched search operations in the forest area of Kokernag in Anantnag, Doda, Kishtwar, Udhampur and Kathua districts.

These operations have been launched after encounters between militants and security forces. Vaid said the militants seem to be well trained and heavily armed and “disappear” after every attack and every encounter. “They are forming different tactics”.

He said the security forces need to use all their resources including drones and other surveillance equipment to track down the militants hiding in the jungle areas of J&K.

According to another security expert, militants are using the caves in mountain ranges and dense forest areas as their hide-outs, where they stay and plan their attacks.

“Every inch of the jungle areas will have to be searched to track down these militants, who are now well versed with the topography of the jungle area,” they said. “If these militants are not tracked then how can it be known where they have gone. It is necessary to track down these militants.”