J&K Has 70% More Foreign Terrorists Now Than Local Ones, Reveals Govt Data, Also Points to Recruitment Dip
Top officials claimed that Foreign Terrorists pose a bigger challenge as they are more well-trained and have been tasked to counter security forces and target them
Jammu and Kashmir now has 70 per cent more Foreign Terrorists (FTs) than Local Terrorists (LTs), government data accessed by News18.com has revealed.
The data also shows that recruitment by terror outfits has seen a massive dip, hinting that the Pakistan-based organisations are now depending on Foreign Terrorists to disturb the law and order situation in J&K.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to reach Jammu and Kashmir in the coming week and will hold a high-level security meet. He will also visit a few areas, including border areas, sources said.
The recent suspected sticky bomb attacks in two buses in Udhampur have raised concerns of agencies and security forces ahead of the home minister’s visit.
Agencies suspect that the use of sticky bombs, which were rampantly used in Afghanistan by IS Afghan and other outfits, will increase in J&K.
Former DG CRPF Kuldiep Singh, who retired on Friday, told the media a day earlier that there is a rise of FTs in J&K, especially after the regime change in Afghanistan which saw the Taliban come to power.
Official data reveals that till August this year, there were around 141 terrorists of which 84 were FTs and 57 were Local Terrorists.
In terms of recruitment, there has been a dip since 2019. In 2020, the total recruitment as per the information received by Intelligence agencies was 181, which reduced to 142 in 2021. This year (till September 21), only 82 terrorists have been recruited by terror outfits.
Interestingly, 44 Foreign Terrorists have already been eliminated by security forces and the 84 FTs are Active Terrorists.
Data reveals that of the total Foreign Terrorists killed by security forces, more than 35 per cent were not identified. Other Foreign Terrorists were from LeT (14) and JeM (16).
The month-wise data shows that April and May saw the highest elimination of FTs by security forces, with 19 being killed in encounters in Jammu and Kashmir.
Top officials claimed that Foreign Terrorists pose a bigger challenge as they are more well-trained. “These terrorists are expectedly more trained than Local Terrorists which are being used for lone wolf attacks. Local Terrorists are being used to target the public majorly but Foreign Terrorists have been tasked to counter security forces and target them. So far, no big impact has been witnessed by security forces due to increased active Foreign Terrorists," a senior government official told News18.com.
On Friday, Bandipora Police and Army recovered huge arms and ammunition close to the border. The seizure included seven AK-47 rifles, two pistols, 21 AK Magazines, 1,190 rounds, 132 pistol rounds, 13 grenades and other incriminating materials in Nowshehra Nard, Gurez area of Bandipora, J&K Police said.
The security forces are expecting a high infiltration this time. October remains a major concern as last year, the month recorded the highest number of civilian killings and was termed the deadliest by local media.
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