New Delhi: The Jammu region has emerged as a major security flashpoint, with around 120 anti-terror operations being carried out every day. Once considered largely free of militancy, the area has in recent years witnessed a sharp surge in terror-related activities, primarily attributed to the infiltration and presence of highly trained foreign terrorists.
According to officials, the operations include both intelligence-based and speculative searches aimed at flushing out militants hiding in forested and mountainous terrain. Jammu’s police chief Bhim Sen Tuti said that despite the scale of the operations, the challenge posed by foreign militants remains significant. He expressed confidence that continued and coordinated efforts by the police, army, and paramilitary forces would soon neutralize the threat.
Over the last four years, Jammu has increasingly come under the terror radar, with dozens of foreign fighters reportedly entrenched in the dense forests of districts like Rajouri, Poonch, and Reasi. Many of them are believed to be trained in jungle warfare and equipped with sophisticated weapons, including US-made M4 carbines and encrypted communication devices.
These terrorists have been responsible for a series of deadly ambushes on security forces and attacks targeting civilians and pilgrims. The resurgence of violence in the region began in October 2021, when Pakistan-backed militants ambushed army personnel in Surankote, Poonch. Since then, multiple attacks have claimed the lives of soldiers, civilians, and Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims.
Security agencies have ramped up deployment across the region, yet operations have proven difficult due to the rugged terrain and thick forest cover that provide natural hideouts for militants. Officials say they receive frequent reports of suspicious movements, leading to quick-response actions almost daily.
Experts believe the sheer number of operations over 3,600 a month and around 44,000 a year—reflects both the scale of the challenge and the lack of precise intelligence. Once focused mainly on the Kashmir Valley, counter-terror efforts are now increasingly centered in Jammu, where militants appear to have shifted or expanded their base amid intensified crackdowns in the Valley.
