National
Fighting militancy in Poonch a big challenge
By Shujaat Bukhari
POONCH, JAN. 21. With a massive build-up along the borders, fighting militancy in this highly volatile region of the State remains a big challenge for the security forces. With infiltration going on unabated, the activities of militants have not shown a significant decline in the past few days.
For Army troops, this time their task is well-defined - to be ready for a direct confrontation with Pakistan. Their concentration on the borders and their de-induction from the security grid have changed the entire scene. State authorities admit that the Army's diversion from counter-insurgency operations has added to vulnerability in certain areas, and replacing them with a handful of companies of the Central Reserve Police Force may not fetch the desired result. Only a few weeks back, militants struck at Magnar village, around 12 km from Poonch, and killed six members of the minority community. ``This no doubt could happen anytime but moving out troops has added to the threat perception of soft targets'' said a senior official.
Though Poonch and Rajouri districts have seen militancy much after it came to the valley, it has proven to be one of the favourite areas of militants because of its proximity to Pakistan and its inhospitable terrain. That was why they come down even into the town and strike at will, as had happened on August 25 last year when eight policemen were killed in a fidayeen (suicide) attack on a police station.
According to security officials, Surankote area is one of the major concerns for them. It has turned out to be a ``safe haven'' for militants who have easily established their base to the extent that security forces hardly use this road to Poonch from Rajouri. Officials point out that out of 410 militancy- related incidents in Jammu region, 140 have been reported from this belt in 2001. They say 257 militants were killed in Surankote alone, which was an ``achievement'' though they lost 31 security force personnel. The Romeo Force of the Rashtriya Rifles has so far recovered 10 truckloads of arms and ammunition from this particular area, officials reveal.
Stretched from Thanamandi to Mendhar, Bhudal Kandi, Kaka Hills, Krishna ghati and Bhudal Forests, this belt has been giving sleepless nights to the security forces. According to an estimate, around 2000 militants from the Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Harkat-e-Jehadi Islami are concentrating on this part of the twin border districts. In fact, when the father of a State Minister, Mushtaq Bukhari, passed away recently, the authorities had a tough time taking a decision on allowing him to attend his father's funeral. It was an uphill task for them to put a large number of forces to sanitise the area and get him to the place. Surankote, the police believe, has become the base for militants for a number of reasons - the main one being the topography. It is from here that they move to Rajouri, crossing to Doda and then to the valley. Unless infiltration comes to an end, it is difficult for the security forces to kill each and every militant who enters Poonch-Rajouri, that too with a high degree of motivation.
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