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| Amid worrying infiltration time, good news is ‘inter, intra-gang’ rivalry between militants | | | BHARAT BHUSHAN
JAMMU, Dec 12: The number of infiltration bids goes up every year in Jammu and Kashmir during the onset of winter and before the blocking of mountain passes with snow. So, the initial days of the chill here are the worrying time for troops but this winter, as of now, there is a good news too: inter and intra-gang rivalry between militants has deepened.
Before it starts to snow and the mountain passes here are covered with the white blanket, infiltrating groups of militants make bids to pass through them. Their effort is to be on this side of the border to keep the pot boiling. As, this is the tactics they have been adopting for the past 20 years now, border troops plug all the known infiltration routes and the treacherous mountain passes well in advance.
But this time, the situation in J&K mountains, where militants have their hideouts, is altogether different. Due to the inter and intra-gang rivalry, an uncongenial atmosphere waits for any of the ultras who manage to infiltrate.
"Inter and intra-gang rivalry between militants exists there in the mountains of the militancy-affected parts of the region," a senior government officer said today.
Serious differences had cropped up between the commanders of the two main militant outfits -- Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) -- due to the growing trust deficit between them, he added.
The dwindling strength and the visibly shaken up terrorist hierarchy were a testimony of the total moral ascendancy of security forces over terror outfits in the region.
The officer said the terrorists were on the run for the fear of elimination due to the intensified search and destroy operations launched by security forces.
To ensure total elimination of terrorist groups from the hinterland, especially the Gulabgarh bowl and Reasi region, a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy was formulated to bring about normalcy in the area to enable civil administration to function smoothly, as also to remove the fear of gun among the civil population.
Relentless operations by security forces in the recent past had borne substantial results and also led to the creation of rift between LeT and HM due to the declining leadership, lack of arms, ammunition and support from across the border, he added.
He said the rivalry created due to the growing trust deficit between the two outfits had created factions within the groups, overground workers and their support bases for obtaining individual control of areas, seize top leadership posts and obtain a greater share of the money extorted from the people.
The inter-gang rivalry came to fore last winter when Manzoor alias Zuber of LeT was eliminated by Irfan Mushtaq of HM. Manzoor was a hardcore militant active in Gulabgarh bowl since 2000.
The killing had taken place on the higher reaches of Pir-Panjal near Gagarmandu Gali and the body could not be recovered immediately after the killing due heavy snowing in the area.
A joint search team of army, police and village defence committees (VDCs) had later searched out the militant's body from under the snow.
The officer said the failure of militant outfits to recruit fresh youth, drying up of funds and elimination of over 50 militants by security forces within a span of four months last year had left a vacuum in the top leadership.
This had triggered a rivalry between the outfits to gain a foothold on the extortion activities and control of areas within their jurisdiction. The first few signs of a vertical split amongst various terrorist cadres was visible after the killing of HM's Bashir Ahmad alias Chota Bashir at Dessa in Doda on May 31 last year.
Bashir was killed by Abdul Latief over some trivial issue in Krandi Dhar forests of Doda.
He shot dead Bashir 10 days after he joined HM ranks. He then took Bashir's AK rifle and came down to Lohara village near Dessa where he surrendered before security forces.
Latief later took forces to the spot where the militant's body was lying in the forests.
Bashir was deeply involved in several militant activities and forcible recruitment of local youth in HM cadres and extortion, the sources added.
Sources said the morale of HM and LeT was at a all time low, with the reports of internecine fights within their ranks. |
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