Click to play videoNew Delhi: The gunbattle between Indian Army personnel and terrorists in Kupwara may have ended with 17 militants killed. But there is a writing on the wall for all to see, in the emerging trends of militancy strikes.
Eight Army personnel, including a Major, were killed in the encounter which began on March 20 in the higher reaches of the Shamsabari range in Harfada forest.
But the shift of location of the gun-battles being played out between Armymen and terrorists is not a typical indication that the Pakistan-backed militancy is running out of steam.
The shift of the armed conflict to jungles from the streets of Poonch to Hafruda since January is the clearest reflection since 1989 that the militants find themselves with their backs to the wall.
The number of violent incidents is down from a peak of 3,200 in 1994 to 150 in 2008.
Estimates of the number of militants active in the state has also halved from an average of 1,500 over the two decades to under 800 now.
In shifting the conflict to the mountainous jungles, the terrorists are making the most of dwindling numbers.
“The terrorists are lying low. They would not prefer to fight. But because the army is going after them, they are choosing to fight in remote areas,” said Brig Gurmeet Kanwal.
So, many ask if this is indeed the right for troop reduction? Not yet, warn the analysts. The military wants to press home the advantage and go for the kill.
“This is the time to go for these militants who are holed up in the remote areas, in the jungles and in the high mountain tops. This is the time to eliminate them gradually over this summer and the next summer,” Brig Gurmeet Kanwal added.
This has raised hopes that we are witnessing the beginning of the end of violent militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.
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