The deadly ambush of five Army soldiers in the dense forest area of Bata Doriya has brought back the horrors of the Pulwama attack in February 2019. The casualty count of Thursday’s attack is far less compared to the 40 CRPF jawans who died in the Pulwama ambush, but the impact is no less and has confirmed what was feared for long – Pakistan-backed terrorist groups have shifted focus from the Valley towards the Jammu division.
The Bata Doriya attack is the second such attack the Rajouri-Poonch area has suffered this year.
On January 1, five people were lined up and shot dead after their IDs were checked in Dangri village of Rajouri. A day later, as security forces, investigating agencies, police and media personnel trooped into the crime scene, an IED went off, killing two children. The terrorists responsible for the seven deaths are still at large.
In October 2021, nine Indian Army soldiers were killed in two separate attacks. The operation to track down the terrorists responsible has still not been called off.
The latest Bata Doriya attack, in which an Army truck moving from Bhimber Gali to Sangiot, around 90 km from the district headquarters in Poonch, was ambushed, has sparked questions whether Poonch and Rajouri are regressing to the days of ‘Hilkaka’.
Hilikaka was a Bakerwal village in Surankote, Poonch. In 2003, Pakistani terrorists converted the village into their garrison with supplies to last 500 people for months. As per official estimates, around 60 Pakistani terrorists, equipped with AK-47 and sniper rifles, PIKA guns, grenade launchers, explosives, radio sets and other communications equipment, laid siege to Hilikaka. Indian Army’s operation ‘Sarp Vinash’ liberated Hilkaka and ensured peace in Rajouri-Poonch for the next two decades.
What Makes Rajouri-Poonch Vulnerable
Proximity to LoC
Intelligence agencies believe this area has long been on Pakistan’s radar. Around 10km from the Line of Control, this area has been traditionally used by LeT and JeM terrorists to infiltrate and cross over to south Kashmir. But the new strategy seems to be to carry out attacks on this side of Pir Panjal.
The Bata Doriya forest is around 7-8 kilometres from the LoC. Agencies suspect that the April 20 attackers were a mix of foreign and local terrorists. Out of the five suspected to be behind the attack, at least three are foreign terrorists, investigating officials said. The suspicion is based on eye-witness accounts of local shopkeepers who heard the firing and may have heard the “foreign sounding” men too. Investigation is on to ascertain if the terrorists infiltrated into India recently and went undetected.
Easy Forest Cover
“It takes 10 minutes of hacking at the bushes to move even 100 meters,” a police officer on ground summed up when asked how much of a challenge the terrain was in the Bata Doriya forest.
Natural caves, heavy foliage and hilly terrain all make it easy for the terrorists to create a hideout after an attack. It also poses bigger challenge to security forces when compared to Kashmir, which being a valley, is easy to navigate. In the Valley, terrorists usually hide in orchards, which are easier to search than the forests around Bhimber Gali in Rajouri-Poonch.
More Boots on the Ground in the Valley
“The ratio is 1:8,” said an officer when asked about deployment of military and paramilitary in the areas of Rajouri-Poonch and in Kashmir. After the abrogation of special status and dilution of Article 370, the Union government has deployed more than 50% of CRPF’s total strength in the Kashmir Valley.
Approximate numbers suggest that out of a total of 60,000 CRPF men deployed in J&K, 45,000 are in the Valley alone. The figures are similar for Rashtriya Rifles, which has around 63,000 men in Jammu and Kashmir.
Reports suggest that out of 1.3 lakh Indian Army soldiers in J&K, close to 80,000 are manning the boundary. Officials say such heavy deployment has made it impossible for terrorists to carry out Pulwama-like attacks in Kashmir, making them look for ‘soft targets’ in Rajouri-Poonch.
The modus operandi in Bata Doriya, officials said, was more like jungle warfare. Ambush, attack and escape; different from the suicide attacks on Army, paramilitary convoys or military stations that the Valley has witnessed.
Dismantling of Terror Support Network in the Valley
The NIA’s terror financing investigation, as per Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has dealt a body blow to terror groups in Kashmir. Officials acknowledge that the arrest of on-ground workers, Hurriyat separatist leaders, alleged hawala operators and businessmen like Zahoor Wattle has significantly dented the terror support group in the Valley.
This, officials say, has made terror outfits look for softer targets like Kashmiri Pandits and migrants. “While such killings did lead to headlines, ahead of G20, the urge seemed to be to do something spectacular,” an agency officer told News18.
Initial probe suggests that the Gujjars and Bakarwals, who have traditionally supported India, have also been influenced by Pakistani agencies in some pockets. Talib Shah, a journalist-turned-Lashkar commander, was arrested in June 2022 from the ‘dhoks’ (hill top shelters for nomadic tribes) of Reasi.
Shah, who sported ‘I Support NaMo’ as his profile picture on social media, was accused of masterminding the Rajouri blasts of March and April 2022, and attempting to derail the Amarnath Yatra that year. Mohammad Shabir and Mohammad Sadiq, residents of Draaj Village in Budhal Tehsil of Rajouri district, were arrested for the same conspiracy and five IEDs were recovered from their possession.
Alarm bells on the vulnerability of the Rajouri-Poonch area had started ringing after the Dangri Village attack. Plans to withdraw Rashtriya Rifles from J&K, which were in advance stages of discussion, were postponed. CRPF troops were redeployed from the Valley to the Rajouri area. But after the attack on the Indian Army truck ahead of the G20 meet, demands are afoot for area dominance in this belt and specific intelligence about over-ground workers who are facilitating and harbouring terrorists here.
Read all the Latest India News here
Comments
0 comment