Nothing Alarming In Increase In Number Of Foreign Terrorists In North Kashmir
As per intelligence reports, the rising numbers of militants in north Kashmir has forced the security agencies (Central and State Police) to re-strategize their response. As per the latest report, the number of terrorists have gone beyond the average 40 and now it may be over 50 terrorists.
What has surprised the security agencies is that foreign Terrorists have again outnumbered the local terrorists in north Kashmir — comprising three districts of Baramulla, Bandipora and Kupwara — in a changing trend.
Well there is nothing surprising about it. It was bound to happen as a desperate attempt by Pakistan. Army and the Security Forces have over a period ensured near normalcy. Various actions of the administration has been weaning away the youth from the path of violence. So in desperation to revive separatism, Pakistan ISI was bound to send more of their trained terrorists I to India. Thus there is a sudden jump in the number of foreign terrorists. Not to worry these mad dogs will be hunted down in time by the Army and the Security Forces.
With the sudden spike in numbers of foreign terrorists, the UT police has changed its tactics. They have restricted the movement of mainstream leaders and elected grassroots representatives because of anticipation of an increase in attacks on them, said a police sources.
According to the latest data of the police, there are over to 50 foreign Terrorists active in north Kashmir compared to just 11 local ones. It is for the first time in a decade that north Kashmir is witnessing heightened terrorist activities compared to south Kashmir, which remained the hub of terroriism after the hanging of Parliament attack terrorist Afzal Guru in 2013.
“The foreign Terrorists build-up was taking place since last few months and cannot be connected with the recent situation in Afghanistan. The changing trend was visible in the past two months,” a police officer said.
The presence of foreign Terrorists in the ranks of the groups such as the Jaish-e-Muhammad, Al-Badr, Lashkar-e-Taiba and The Resistance Front (TRF) had dried up in the first quarter of 2021. In fact, the first foreign Terrorists, Hamas alias Asrar alias Saria, who was active since March 2018, was killed on May 4 in north Kashmir’s Sopore, according to the police.
Against 32 foreign Terrorists killed in 2020, only nine foreign terrorists have been killed this year so far, according to official figures. A total of 102 Terrorists, “mostly commanders”, were killed, 88 youth recruited, 30 arrested and 425 over ground workers held this year, according to the police data.
“The biggest success against foreign Terrorists in Kashmir this year was the killing of Saifullah alias Adnan alias Lamboo, a so called IED expert who played a role in the 2019 Pulwama attack on July 31,” a police officer said.
A senior official said most mainstream leaders and elected grassroots representatives have been asked to lie low and provided with dos and don’ts when they plan to move around.
“I have been asked not to visit Sopore during the daytime, not to take the interior routes in Handwara and Rafiabad and ensure that police personnel remain on alert after the sundown,” a north Kashmir-based mainstream leader said.
In fact, the police investigation into the grenade attack on a sarpanch, Narinder Kour, on August 22 in Baramulla’s Shrakwara Kreeri area was traced to TRF’s non-local recruit Ali Bhai.
The police said the two suspected attackers held in the case were “in contact with LeT terrorist Hilal Sheikh and Usman, a foreign terrorist”.
