'Lack of Adequate Actionable Intelligence' Behind Rise in Attacks on Security Forces in J&K: Report

With the Poonch militant attack being the latest, the region south of Pir Panjal has seen an increased number of terror attacks over the last two years. Top security officials also blame it on thinning of troops and increasing influx of narcotics.

The Wire Staff

lack of adequate actionable intelligence behind rise in attacks on security forces in j k report

Representational image of security forces. Indian army soldiers. Photo: Facebook/Northern Command-Indian Army

New Delhi: Top officials in the government blame the rise in high-intensity attacks on security forces in the bordering districts of Poonch, Rajouri, and Jammu, on "lack of adequate actionable intelligence on the infiltration of terrorists and their sustenance, thinning of security forces in the hinterland and an increasing influx of narcotics", the Indian Express reported.

The rise in attacks, therefore, has now prompted security officials to reassess the deployment of troops and review the framework in place to handle counter-insurgency operations in the region.

With the Poonch militant attack being the latest, the region south of Pir Panjal has seen an increased number of terror attacks over the last two years, though the number is fewer than those in the Valley. The two-year period dates back to October 2021 when nine soldiers were killed in the forests between Bhata Durian and Dehra Ki Gali in two separate firefights. In each of the attacks over the said period, at least five soldiers were killed, and mostly the perpetrators of violence managed to escape in almost every attack.

The Poonch attack, in which five soldiers were killed, and in its aftermath, the death of three civilians due to alleged custodial torture has led to a "shakeup" of sorts in the local command structure. Consequently, three security officers have been given marching orders, and a probe has been commissioned to get to the depth of what went wrong.

Officials now say the Poonch terror attack – which came seven months after a similar ambush of the security forces in the same region – proves the point that terrorists have been hiding in the region over a sustained period whilst successfully evading capture.

"This indicates that they are extremely well trained and motivated and have been either able to get internal support for sustenance or gather intelligence on military movements," an official said.

The fact that the terrorists have been able to remain undetected, the official said, indicates a lack of actionable intelligence about their presence, infiltration, and replenishment when they are in the region.

"Instead, they should have been on the run and should have exhausted all resources and support to have had the ability to strike again after an attack," the official said.

The rise in attacks has now prompted officials to tweak the existing counter-insurgency strategy. "Counter-terrorism necessitates constant evolving of tactics and operational methodology so as to get ahead of the terrorists who always have the advantage of surprise on their side," another official said.

This article went live on January third, two thousand twenty four, at fifty-one minutes past eleven in the morning.

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