Multiple operations continue in several hilly areas
Success expected as agencies feel winter is crucial
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 11: Security forces have moved to mountainous areas of many hilly districts of the region to track down the foreign terrorists hiding there after chocking their supplies and other requirements through series of raids and anti-terror operations conducted by multiple agencies for the past sometime.
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Sources told the Excelsior that security forces are expected to launch massive operations in the hills to neutralize the terrorists especially during the winters when they are expected to slightly come down from mountains to small hills to escape heavy snowfall and chilly weather conditions in entire Pir Panjal range and surroundings.
Multiple security agencies including Army, paramilitary forces, police and Special Operations Group (SOG) have already spread in many hilly areas and are conducting joint operations for the terrorists. The operations will be further intensified in the days to come with induction of more security personnel.
There have been reports that some terrorists, mostly foreigners, are hiding in the upper reaches of Doda, Kishtwar, Udhampur, Rajouri, Poonch and Kathua districts in the Jammu region. However, they keep on shifting the hideouts from one district to another, which are connected by the mountains, depending on pressure of the security forces.
“Few Over Ground Workers (OGWs) appeared to be helping the terrorists in arranging food and other essential items for their survival in the hills. While some of the OGWs have been arrested by police, others may be at the large,’’ the sources said.
During past several months, security forces have established contact with terrorists at different places in which the terrorists including their commanders have been killed and injured. Still, some terrorists are believed to be active in the hills.
The Village Defence Guards (VDGs) have been actively assisting security forces in the anti-terror operations. During past couple of years, the VDGs have been activated and strengthened with sophisticated weapons and other facilities.
Sources, however, said that these large-scale operations are a daily routine which includes “speculative operations, pinpointed and information-based operations’’. They also admitted that the presence of foreign terrorists pose a major security challenge and these scales of operations are aimed at eliminating the looming terrorist threat.
Kishtwar has seen over half a dozen encounters in the past few months as security forces continue their hunt for Pakistan-based terrorists hiding in these hills. Basantgarh forests in Udhampur district have also seen several encounters between security forces and terrorists.
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