2015 witnessed fewer terror strikes in J&K than previous year

NEW DELHI: Terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir may be increasingly targetting security forces by attacking their convoys and engaging them in protracted encounters, but overall terrorrelated incidents has seen a perceptible decline in 2015 as compared to 2014. While terrorist incidents fell to 208 last year from 222 in 2014, total security personnel killed in the counter-insurgency grid were 17% lower at 39 as compared to 47 in 2014.

Follow @ETDefence Twitter handle for comprehensive coverage on other buzzing Defence stories

As many as 108 terrorists were liquidated by the security forces in the Valley in 2015, almost maintaining the 2014 count when 108 jihadis were killed. Civilian casualties were also significantly fewer at 15 last year as compared to 28 in 2014.

“Much of the improvement in indices of militancy-related violence in J&K could be due to lower infiltration, thanks to higher vigil at the LoC and international border,” said a senior officer of the security establishment. Infiltration attempts in 2015 dipped to 121 last year as compared to 222 in 2014. In fact, successful cases of infiltration were only 33, almost half of the 65 cases recorded in 2014. “However, despite the lower infiltration, the terrorists who manage to sneak in are coming prepared for a long haul, with loads of ammunition and IEDs to keep the forces engaged for several days,” an intelligence officer pointed out.

The officer said this might require some strategic review given the casualties terrorists have been able to inflict on the security forces in recent encounters. “The terrorists at Pampore were foreign mercenaries who had come prepared to die. Given that there is slim chance of catching a fidayeen alive, the stress should be to make them fire for long enough to exhaust their ammunition. The risk of casualty is far lower if no urgency is attached to completing the operation within a set time period,” said the officer.