The recruitment of local boys for carrying out terrorism related activities dropped to a single digit, seven, in the year 2024 in J&K. This is very significant, and it becomes clear once we compare this figure to that of previous years. There has been a steady decline over the years in the number of local terrorists operating in Kashmir. Local recruitment has declined since 2021, when 125 youths joined ranks of terrorists. In 2022, the number of new recruits taking up arms dropped to 100. Last year, in 2023, only local youths joined terrorist ranks, and this year, seven youth joined terrorist ranks, according to the data compiled by security agencies.
Another significant change that has been noticed regarding the pattern of terrorism is that local terror outfits have almost been wiped out. At present, it is mainly Pakistani terrorists who have been sustaining and carrying out terrorism in J&K. These highly trained foreign terrorists carried out several attacks on security forces as also civilians and managed to run away on most occasions.
The most spectacular attack by them was carried out on June 9 in the Reasi district of Jammu province, hours before Narendra Modi was to be sworn in as Prime Minister for the third time in New Delhi. At least nine pilgrims returning from Shiv Khori shrine were killed and 41 others were injured in this dastardly attack.
A couple of days later, on June 11/12, two foreign terrorists and a CRPF jawan were killed in a gunfight after terrorists attacked a joint check-post in Kathua district. The same day, five Rashtriya Rifles (RR) personnel and a Special Police Officer (SPO) were also injured in a terrorist attack in Doda district.
On July 8, five Army soldiers were killed in action and five others injured after terrorists attacked a military convoy in Machhedi forest area of Billawar in Kathua district. This was first such ambush by terrorists recorded in the area during the past three decades. A week later, on July 16, four Army soldiers, including a Captain, were killed in an encounter with terrorists in the Koti forests of Doda district.
All these incidents from various areas in the Jammu province created an impression of terrorists operating at will as they managed to slip away.
Of 68 terrorists killed this year, 42 were foreigners, while 26 local terrorists were eliminated. Among the 42 foreign terrorists killed this year, 17 were eliminated during infiltration attempts along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB), while 25 were killed during encounters in the interior areas.
According to the data, 30 civilians lost their lives in terrorist initiated incidents across the Union Territory (UT) of J&K. This data reveals that while 80 security force personnel had lost their lives in 2019, the number of their casualties stood at 30 in 2023.
In 2024, at least 60 terrorism related incidents were reported while in 2019, at least 153 such incidents had been reported.
The security forces achieved some notable successes this year in eliminating many top terrorist commanders. Basit Ahmad Dar, Usman Lashkari, Arbaz Mir and Farooq Ahmad Bhat (Nali) were among those who lost their lives in encounters with the security forces.
In the Kashmir Valley, terrorists attacked a workers’ camp near Gagangeer in Sonamarg, killing seven employees, including a Kashmiri doctor, and injuring five others. This attack in Ganderbal against a major infrastructure project was first ever such incident in the area. This attack was carried out on October 20, and four days later, terrorists attacked an Army vehicle near Gulmarg, killing two soldiers and two porters, and injuring another soldier and porter.
