From Safe Houses to Underground Havens: Evolving Tactics of Terror Groups

Quick Summary

• Terror groups in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) are shifting tactics, constructing underground bunkers deep in forests and high ridges rather of relying on local homes for shelter.
• Recent revelation: During an encounter last week in Kulgam district, two terrorists were killed and security forces uncovered a trench stocked with rations, cooking equipment, weapons, and ammunition.
• These hideouts are common now in areas like Kulgam, Shopian districts, and south of Pir Panjal where thick forests provide natural cover.
• Intelligence reports suggest terrorists focus on remaining undetected inside these bunkers to launch occasional attacks directed from across the border.
• Absence of reliable human intelligence due to declining local support has intricate operations for security forces.
• Retired Lt.Gen. D.S. Hooda notes that this tactic is reminiscent of strategies used in the 1990s; Army may need to reevaluate its counter-terrorism strategy accordingly.
• Security agencies plan to deploy advanced technology such as drones equipped with ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and seismic sensors to locate underground hideouts effectively.
• Similar bunker techniques have been employed within residential areas during earlier periods but shifted after diminishing separatist ideology among locals.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The tactical shift by terror groups towards forest-based underground bunkers reflects key changes in the counterterrorism dynamic within J&K. The erosion of local support highlights dwindling acceptance among communities previously sympathetic toward separatist ideologies-a positive development from a security outlook but one that introduces operational challenges for forces relying heavily on human intelligence.

The recurring historical patterns observed-such as those by Lt. Gen Hooda comparing current practices with tactics used decades ago-underscore the region’s cyclical nature concerning militancy response strategies while necessitating continuous adaptability across technology deployment (e.g., GPR-equipped drones). This evolution could raise efficiency once refined long responses neutralized greater dependence arises duplicatable new-hide-outs detection cycles re-pattern psychology diminish repetitive recurrence thus accelerate implication cycles ending ruptured “residential-turning-role-switch dangerously reduced shelter-option freezes outsider-insider bounded.”

For more facts: Renewed terror: on the attacks in J&K