New Delhi: Even before Jammu and Kashmir Police could get hold of the possible suspects behind the Reasi terror attack, which resulted in the loss of nine lives, Jammu region was rocked by two more back-to-back attacks. The twin attacks in Jammu’s Kathua and Doda districts Tuesday evening left one CRPF constable dead and six security personnel injured.
Data available with the Army shows that a total of 20 security personnel were killed in Rajouri and Poonch districts last year.
Calling the developments in the twin border districts a “cause for concern”, Army Chief General Manoj Pande earlier this year said Pakistan has been working hard to abet terrorism in Jammu because the overall security situation in the Valley is improving.
“In the last five to six months, in Rajouri and Poonch, there has been an increase in terrorism. This is an issue of concern. Terrorism in that area was eradicated in 2003, and peace was there till 2017-18. Because of the situation in the valley getting normal, this is one area our adversaries have been active in, in terms of abetting terrorism, encouraging proxy tanzeems (groups) in operating in this area,” he said in an annual press conference.
Both General Pande and Jammu and Kashmir DGP R.R. Swain have emphasised that these border districts in Jammu have seen decades of peace after a turbulent phase between the late 1990s and 2003.
“We know that Poonch, Rajouri, and Reasi have seen a phase of violence (in the past). We are mindful of that situation (1997-2003) and this situation as well. And we’ll not allow this gap (period of calmness) to be bridged in their (Pakistan’s) favour,” Swain had said on 31 December last year.
ThePrint looks at how these attacks underline a worrying trend of terror attacks in the Jammu region since 2021.
Also Read: Revival of infiltration routes, dried intel — what’s fuelling surge in terror attacks in Jammu
Drone attack on IAF station
On June 27, 2021, two unmanned aerial vehicles with payloads crashed into the technical area of Jammu Air Force station, causing two low-intensity explosions. Director General of Police at the time, Dilbagh Singh, called it an act of terrorism and the J&K Police registered a case in this regard under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Two days later, the home ministry handed over the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
This attack marked the beginning of a spate of terror attacks in Jammu. It was also the first time India’s vital security installation was attacked by drones presumably operated by the terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Ambush in Poonch
On October 11 that year, five army personnel, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), were killed during an intelligence-based operation close to Dera ki Gali in Surankote area of Poonch, a border district. The search operation that began on the intervening night of 10-11 October continued for 15 days and resulted in the deaths of nine soldiers.
ThePrint had reported then that five soldiers were initially ambushed on 11 October, prompting security personnel to conduct a cordon and search operation. It was during this operation that four more soldiers lost their lives after terrorists opened fire at a search party on the Mendhar side of the forest in Poonch. Just as the marathon search operation was underway in Poonch, two army personnel, including a Lieutenant, were killed in a mine blast along the Line of Control in neighbouring Rajouri district.
Between 2022-23: Rajouri-Poonch hotbed
A majority of terror attacks in Jammu have taken place in the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch that come under the Pir Panjal region.
On August 11, 2022, the Army lost four personnel, including a JCO, when two fidayeen attacked an Army camp in the Darhal area of Rajouri district. Another jawan injured in the attack succumbed 10 days later.
On 1 January 2023, terrorists shot dead five civilians and left several others seriously injured in Dhangri village of Rajouri. This was followed by an IED explosion the next day in one of the houses attacked by terrorists. A case was registered by J&K Police but the NIA took over the probe and has so far arrested three prime accused, including a minor, in connection with the case, for harbouring terrorists allegedly affiliated with LeT.
The Army suffered another setback last April when five of its jawans came under attack by terrorists, who opened fire and launched grenades at an Army vehicle in Poonch district. ThePrint reported then that terrorists had targeted the lone Army vehicle after conducting a proper recce and used silver core bullets that could pierce even armoured shields.
In May that same year, five soldiers of the Army’s elite 9 Para SF who were on lookout for those behind the Poonch ambush, were killed in an encounter with terrorists in the dense Kandi forest area of Rajouri sector.
In July, security forces successfully tracked down and eliminated four terrorists in Sindhara top area of Surankote tehsil of Poonch. A joint team of Army and J&K Police conducted the operation on the night of 17-18 July.
But in November, the Army suffered another setback when five of its jawans, including two Captain rank officers, were killed in an encounter with terrorists in Bazi Mal Upper forests in the Kalakote area of Rajouri.
Later that same month, security officers eliminated two terrorists, including an LeT commander who was believed to be behind the attack on civilians in Dhangri village in January and ambush in Kandi forest in May 2023.
However, in December, the Army suffered four more casualties after terrorists ambushed two vehicles part of a convoy passing through Dera Ki Gali in Poonch district. A search operation that followed the attack snowballed into a controversy after allegations surfaced of the Army detaining three civilians who reportedly died in custody.
The J&K Police registered an FIR for murder against unknown suspects, and the Army initiated a Court of Inquiry in the aftermath of the operation.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: Why Pir Panjal region is becoming a militant hotspot— porous LoC, routes to Kashmir, ‘local support’