j-k-terrorists-strike-with-new-weapons-tactics

Terror attacks on tourists and pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir are a worrisome development,  the recent Reasi bus tragedy killing nine pilgrims serving as a stark reminder that terrorism is yet to be wiped out of the state.

 

There are positive signals though. The number of locals recruited for militancy has dropped significantly, with “only 20-25 active militants in 2024 compared to 200-300 during the peak years of 2016-2017,” says DGP RR Swain.

 

However, terrorists are trying to make up the numbers by upgrading their weaponry, moving from AK-47s and AK-56s to more lethal foreign-made arms, including US-made M4 assault rifles, steel-coated bullets, and Chinese-made ammunition.

 

Security experts and officials have expressed concern over the resurgence of a more faceless and adaptable form of terrorism.  

 

 Reports indicate that Pakistan-sponsored terrorists are exploiting the current void, with some being Pakistani regulars redirected to Jammu and Kashmir after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

 

Previously, terrorists focused their attacks solely on security forces, but now they are increasingly targeting soft targets such as civilians, tourists, and pilgrims to disrupt peace in the Union Territory.

 

Several attacks on tourists and pilgrims have occurred in 2024, the Reasi bus tragedy being the latest incident targeting non-locals.

 

On April 8, terrorists injured a tourist cab driver in Anantnag. Shortly thereafter, a Rajasthan couple was attacked while dining in a local hotel.

 

Meanwhile, in 2022 Terrorists attached a “sticky bomb” to a moving bus which killed four and injured 24 pilgrims in Katra. 

 

On 10 July 2017, seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 15 injured when militants attacked a bus carrying 56 passengers at Botengo village near Anantnag on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway in South Kashmir.

 

Unless until outreach programmes with civilians are improved and border security is strengthened, the shadow of terror will cast a veil of darkness over J&K. The sooner the authorities realise this the better.