Jammu, September 29
During the past 17 years of armed insurgency in the Kashmir valley, a new trend of outsourcing militancy has come into play, where militants’ operative avoid direct confrontation with the security forces and recruit non-militants to perform the militancy-related activities.
With increased crackdown on militants and the killing of a large number of trained militants, militants now try to avoid direct confrontation with the security forces and hand over jobs like grenade throwing and planting of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to unemployed youth of the valley.
“This is what is called terrorism.If a militant comes in direct confrontation with the security forces then it is called militancy, but if they get their job done by non-militants then it’s a clear act of terrorism,” IG ( Kashmir range) S.M.Sahai told The Tribune.
He said, “Though this trend in Kashmir is not new, militants here are now making use of such tactics like recruiting teenagers in their ranks and outsourcing the job of militancy activities to non-militants to spread terrorism in the valley.”
According to sources, militants are resorting to such tactics because their numbers have dwindled in the valley and new persons are not ready to join their ranks.
“Their (militants) numbers in the valley have reduced and they don’t want to lose more people and they have direct instructions from across the border to avoid their own causalities by coming in direct confrontation with militants,” said a top Army officer.
He said, “Post 9/11, various factors have come into play and the fencing of the LoC and increased vigil along it, external pressure and internal turmoil in Pakistan, the diversion of hardcore jehadis to Afghanistan and Iraq has decreased the inflow of militants into our side.”
Militants’ operative in the state, recruit teenagers in large numbers as they have a tendency to be shaped in the way militants want them to.
Recently the security forces rescued six young boys in Udhampur district who were being forced to cross the LoC to take up arms training by Lashkar militants.
Srinagar-based defence PRO, Lt-Col A. K. Mathur said, “Youth now know the reality about the hollow slogan of jehad and don’t want to get involved in all this. They have come to know the reality. So militants now target poor teenagers and take them by force and by the fear of the gun. They also outsource terrorist activities to poor unemployed people.”
To counter the increasing trend of outsourcing of militancy and recruitment of teenagers into militant ranks, the security forces have also taken various measures.
“We have improved our intelligence network. We have to strongly curb the overground network of militants who are responsible for such recruitment and so far we have been successful in countering their move,” said Sahai.
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