"Foreign Terrorists Big Challenge": Jammu Sees 120 Anti-Terror Ops Every Day

Around 120 anti-terrorist operations are in progress each day in Jammu region, underscoring the terror threat and security challenges in a region that was free from terrorism until a few years ago. The police say the presence of foreign terrorists in the Jammu region is posing a major security challenge. Counter-terrorist operations are being launched at an unprecedented scale to eliminate the looming terrorist threat.

"Every day, we are launching 120 anti-terrorist operations in the Jammu zone. It is a daily routine, whether speculative operations or pinpointed, information-based operations, it has been going on continuously," said Bhim Sen Tuti, the police chief of Jammu.

Tuti said he was confident that with the relentless operation, security forces will soon neutralise these foreign terrorists hiding in upper reaches of Jammu. "Foreign terrorists have become a major challenge over the last two years. We are strengthening counter terrorism grid and also border protection grid," he said.

The Jammu region has been high on terror radar for last four years. Dozens of foreign terrorists who are highly trained in jungle warfare are reportedly well entrenched in its different forest areas.

These terrorists are involved in a series of attacks on the army and civilians. After almost every attack, the terrorists have managed to escape.

Major terrorist incidents in Jammu province starred in October 2021, when Pakistan-backed terrorists ambushed army jawans in Surankote area of Poonch district.

Since then. there have been a series of attacks on the army and civilians in the region. Several Hindus and Mata Vaishno Yatris were killed in terrorist attacks during this period.

Terrorists  armed with state of art weapons -- including US made M4 carbine and highly encrypted communication systems -- have posed serious security challenge in the region.

Even as a large number of troops were moved in various parts of Jammu region, they did not have much success in flushing out terrorists in treacherous mountains and dense forests.

According to officials, every day people report about suspicious moments in different areas of Jammu. The response of security forces is always swift. But despite unprecedented operations, the terrorists remain elusive. 

Counter-insurgency experts say anti-terrorist operations on such a large scale is not just an indication of security challenges in the region but also a grim reminder of the absence of hard intelligence.  With 120 operations daily, it means security forces are carrying out 3600 counter-terrorist operation in a month and about 44,000 operations in a year.

Till 2021, Jammu region was almost free from terrorism and the focus of anti-terror operations was in Kashmir Valley.  While terrorism in the Valley continue to remain a challenge, particularly after the horrendous Pahalgam attack in April, terrorists appear to have shifted or extended their base to the mountains of Jammu.