Counter-insurgency mechanism must be reviewed

DODA, Reasi, Kathua, Poonch, Rajouri — terrorists and their handlers are relentlessly targeting the Jammu region, putting the Army and the UT police under immense pressure to stem the alarming tide. Four Army personnel, including a Captain, died after a gunfight with terrorists in Doda district on Monday night. The incident happened a week after terrorists ambushed an Army patrol in the Machedi forest belt of Kathua district, claiming the lives of five soldiers. The writing is on the wall: the number of security personnel and civilians killed in terror attacks or encounters in the region since January 1 has crossed 20 — four times the terrorist fatalities.

The epicentre of militant activity has shifted in recent years to Jammu from the Kashmir valley — and drastically so over the past month or so. Despite the emergence of this clear pattern, the Army, the police and the Central Armed Police Forces are struggling to counter the foreign terrorists who are infiltrating from across the border. This points to lapses on the intelligence front, besides possible gaps in coordination among various agencies. It is apparent that militants are exploiting these chinks to cause mayhem week after week.

The spotlight is on the usual suspect, Pakistan, which continues to pursue its strategy of bleeding India with a thousand cuts amid its own economic and political problems. While New Delhi must up the ante against Islamabad in the international arena, the entire counter-terror mechanism has to be urgently reviewed. The security forces must regain the element of surprise to turn the tables on the terrorists. At the same time, all stakeholders need to exercise restraint for the sake of peace. The J&K DGP has struck a discordant note by accusing mainstream regional parties of cultivating leaders of terror networks for political gains. The blame game will not only undermine the supreme sacrifice of soldiers but also embolden Pakistan to further its nefarious agenda.