Revised anti-terror strategy post-Pahalgam attack led to successful twin encounters in J&K: GOC Victor Force

SRINAGAR: In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack , security forces revised their counter-terrorism strategy over the past month, leading to the killing of six terrorists in two operations since May 13. This was revealed at a press conference addressed jointly by IGP Kashmir Vidhi Kumar Birdi, GOC Victor Force Maj Gen Dhananjay Joshi, and IGP (G) CRPF Mitesh Kumar on Friday. Now that the snow is melting, security forces are focusing more on the higher reaches of Kashmir Valley as well as on the hinterland to ensure the end of terrorism in J&K.

On Thursday (May 15), three local Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists were shot dead in an encounter in south Kashmir’s Tral. Two days before that, security forces killed three Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists — including local commander Shahid Kuttay — in the upper reaches of south Kashmir’s Shopian, around 80km north of Srinagar, on May 13. With these two operations, the number of listed local terrorists has dropped to a single digit — the lowest ever since armed insurgency began in the Valley in the 1990s, the press conference informed.

Following the Pahalgam massacre, the Army had made several areas as focus regions, GOC Victor Force Maj Gen Joshi said. “We were getting intelligence inputs that terrorist groups have now moved to higher reaches in the forests after the snow melted. Keeping this in mind, our domination party was continuously deployed in the upper reaches and the forests in the high mountains,” he added.

“On May 12 night, we received inputs that a group of terrorists might be present in Shopian’s Kellar area. So, the parties already deployed there for domination relocated themselves and focused on that place, closing in on spotting suspicious movement on May 13 morning,” Maj Gen Joshi said, adding that three ultras were shot dead in the ensuing firefight. Joshi said the operation took place in the higher reaches, at very high altitudes, and in a difficult terrain.

Speaking about the Tral encounter, Joshi said, “This operation was carried out in a completely different setting — a village in Nadar area. We had intel that terrorists were hiding there. As soon as the cordon was imposed, the holed-up terrorists opened fire from multiple houses.” After ensuring the security of civilians, the search teams moved from house to house and killed three terrorists at separate locations, he added.

“Both operations demonstrate the security forces’ capability to locate and neutralise terrorists, whether in remote forests or densely populated villages,” Joshi said.

Over the past month, security forces and police reviewed their strategies, and with mutual coordination among various agencies, intensified anti-terror operations, IGP Birdi said. “Such operations are possible only because all of us in J&K, especially Kashmir Valley, are united and committed to eradicating the terror ecosystem, and any form of terrorist activity,” Birdi added.

IGP (G) CRPF Mitesh Kumar praised the synergy between all security and intelligence agencies involved. “The successful operations reflect the high level of coordination among the Army, Rashtriya Rifles, J&K Police, CRPF, and intelligence agencies,” Kumar said, adding: “This collaboration will continue, and it is key to eliminating terrorism from J&K.”