Spike in terror recruitments in J&K becomes major concern for security forces

The government may be patting itself on the back for the decline in terror incidents, stone pelting and violence in Jammu and Kashmir post abrogation of Article 370, but the latest official figures revealed that terror recruitment in the valley has risen since then. In 2020, as many as 179 persons are believed to have been recruited by terror organisations operating in J&K as compared to 119 recruitments in 2019.

Even though the Covid pandemic had largely confined people to their homes and the heavy deployment of security forces since the removal of the Special Status to J&K in August 2019 prevented Pakistan-based terror outfits to stir unrest in the valley and carry out terrorist attacks, the rise in recruitments is being attributed to the increased activity of terrorist outfits already operating in J&K and radicalisation of the youth. The bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh, the brewing unrest over the double lockdown and the rising online activities of terror outfits who have been scouting for vulnerable youth and targets to increase the terror footprint in the valley have led to a spike in terror recruitments, said a senior security official.

The latest data shared with the home ministry has revealed that the total terrorist incidents have gone down from 299 incidents in 2019 to 275 terror incidents in 2020 until November. A total of 220 terrorists were neutralised in 2020 which is an increase from 161 terrorists killed in 2019.  

Further, the number of security personnel killed in counter terror operations in J&K has decreased in 2020 from 80 to 60. 

The high vigil on the borders with Pakistan has also resulted in a decline in infiltration incidents from 141 incidents in 2019 to 44 incidents in 2020 until November.

While the terror activities have gone down, the brewing unrest, rising recruitments and desperation of Pakistan-sponsored terror groups to disturb peace in the valley have become the biggest concern for security forces. There is also worry within the security establishment about the coming together of various terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammed through the movement of cadres who are combining strength to carry out terrorist incidents. 

''Of late, it cannot be said whether any incident is the handiwork of a single terror outfit. Many a time we find two militants of the same outfit and one belonging to another,'' said an official in J&K.