Massive Anti-Terrorist Operation Launched In Kashmir Over Kulgam Attack

A major anti-terrorist operation has been launched in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district to track down the terrorists behind a recent attack on the CRPF.

The Jammu and Kashmir police, the Army and the CRPF have jointly launched the operation. Top police officers, including J&K DGP Nalin Parvati and the Inspector General of Kashmir Zone, Sujit Kumar, are personally supervising the operation.

Multiple villages in and around Mirbazar have been cordoned off, and a large-scale search operation is underway.

Sources say the security forces suspect the presence of terrorists behind the recent attack on the CRPF in the area. Following the attack in which three CRPF jawans were injured, a massive crackdown was launched, and over 500 people were detained and questioned.

A senior police officer said that all those detained had been released following questioning.

Read: Over 500 Questioned, 20 Detained In Terrorist Attack On CRPF Camp In Kulgam

"We have not arrested anybody in connection with the attack. All those who were detained and questioned during the ongoing operations were released. It was part of a general inquiry, not mass arrests as reported by a section of the media," said a senior officer.

Sources said the police had obtained crucial digital footprints of a key accused and were working to track him down. "For the last four days, dozens of search operations have been carried out in the area. It appears security forces have received more specific information today and they are hopeful of tracking down those behind Wednesday's attack," said an official.

Police sources say the attack on the CRPF party was aimed at snatching weapons, but alert personnel repulsed the attack.

The CCTV footage shows terrorists firing a barrage of bullets at CRPF troopers before the attack was repulsed. At least two terrorists took cover behind a gabion structure, resumed firing and managed to escape.

Official sources say a prior intelligence alert about a suspected terrorist movement and the swift retaliatory action by CRPF personnel "helped security forces thwart what could have been a major attack".

An official analysis indicates that the manner in which the attack was executed suggests that the terrorists intended to inflict casualties on the CRPF and snatch weapons.

"However, the immediate counter-fire disrupted their plan and forced them to withdraw before security forces could regroup and intensify the response. The incident reflects the growing frustration and desperation of the adversaries, who are finding it increasingly difficult to achieve their objectives due to heightened alertness, preparedness and effective area domination by security forces," said an official.

The Kulgam attack comes against the backdrop of an extended period of relative calm in the Valley. It's seen as the biggest terror incident after the Pahalgam terror attack, which had triggered a four-day war between India and Pakistan.

Security and intelligence agencies believe that almost zero recruitment of local youth into militancy has dramatically changed the security situation in Kashmir.

Recently, the Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Zone, told the media that only one local terrorist is active in the Valley.

It's believed that the lone local terrorist, Latief Ahmad Bhat, was involved in Wednesday's attack. Earlier, his name had surfaced in the attack on migrant workers on 1 August in the same area.