SRINAGAR: The fidayeen attack on the Sunjuwan Army camp is an indicator of the concerted efforts of militants to shift opeartions to the Jammu region for increasing their sphere of influence, security officials said.
Another key reason for militants to shift focus on Jammu is because of the hot pusuit by security forces in the Kashmir Valley. Over 200 militants were killed under ‘Operation All Out’ in Kas hmir last year.
Kathua, Jammu, Samba, Udhampur, Rajouri, Reasi, Poonch, Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar districts together form the Jammu division, which shares 740-km-long International Border (IB) with Pakistan.
On February 10, three Jaish-e-Mohammad militants had stormed the Sunjuwan camp. The encounter lasted two days during which six armymen, a civilian and all the attackers were killed. It was the second such attack on a fortified Army camp in Jammu in the last 15 months. In November 2016, three fidayeen had stormed the headquarters of Army’s 16 Corps at Nagrota, killing seven Armymen. All three militants were were killed.
Defence spokesperson Lt. Col. Devender Anand told The Sunday Standard that no communication devices were recovered from the slain terrorists at Sunjuwan. “Since no communication equipment was recovered, it seems they were guided to the place by somebody.”
Some sleeper cells of militants or Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of militants might be functioning in Jammu, he said. “Without support on the ground, the militants cannot strike anywhere.”
Another Army officer said militants keep shifting their base from one region to another. “In 1997, they shifted their focus to Pir Panjal region and now that our writ runs in the Valley, they are trying to shift their activities beyond Kashmir.”
On January 20, a special police officer (SPO) vanished with an AK-47 rifle in Kishtwar district. He was arrested a few days later. In September last year, an SSB man was killed and an ASI critically injured in a militant attack at Banihal area on Srinagar-Jammu highway. Three local boys were arrested.
On October 16, 2015, the police killed two SPO-turned-militants in Doda district. The same year in August, two Pakistani militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba attacked a BSF convoy in Udhampur and killed two jawans. One militant died in the attack.
The data of militant violence in Jammu region since 2012 proves that the ultras want to increase their influence beyond the Valley. Thirty-five security men and 14 civilians have been killed in Jammu over the last five years. While a civilian was killed and five were injured in 2012, five civilians and four security men lost their lives in 2014.
In Samba district, four security men were killed and two injured in 2013. In Poonch, a civilian and two securitymen were killed in 2012, while a civilian and 11 security personnel injured in 2014. A security personnel was killed in a militant attack in Kishtwar district in 2012. Two civilians and four securitymen were killed and four others injured in 2013. The death toll was three the next year. Militant violence spiked up in 2015 that saw four casualties, including those of three securitymen.
A police officer said militants were repeatedly making attempts to strike outside the Valley. “The OGWs are a key to militant activities and movement. The militants might have some OGWs outside Kashmir to help them identity and recci targets and launch attacks.” Since Jammu lies close to IB, he said Pakistan may attempt to push militants for fomenting trouble.