Srinagar: In a major boost to the government’s efforts to curb terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a substantial drop in local youth joining terror ranks.
Intelligence inputs reveal that only four locals – two from Shopian and one each from Tral and Srinagar – have joined terrorist groups this year, a remarkable decrease from previous years.
According to official data, there are currently 119 active terrorists in J&K, comprising 95 Pakistanis and 24 locals.
The breakdown by region shows 79 terrorists in the Kashmir region (61 Pakistani, 18 local) and 40 in the Jammu region (34 Pakistani, 6 local).
The decline in local recruitment is attributed to the government's zero tolerance policy towards terrorism, coupled with initiatives to dismantle the terror ecosystem. These efforts include:
- Choking of funds to terrorist organizations
- Crackdown on overground networks
- Action against employees involved in terror-related activities
Perturbed with this downward trend in locals joining terror ranks, Pakistan and it's proxies have once again intensified their efforts to indoctrinate and brainwash young impressionable minds to lure them to gun culture.
In this regards intelligence agencies have detected a surge in anti-India social media activity this month, with over 2,000 posts glorifying terrorism or promoting separatism on Pakistan and POJK handles.
Despite these challenges, the security forces have achieved significant successes, with 61 terrorists killed and 25 terror incidents foiled so far this year. However, the security personnel have also made sacrifices, with 24 personnel killed in action.
Last year saw similar numbers, with 25 terror incidents and 27 security personnel killed in action.
The government's multi-pronged strategy appears to be yielding positive results, transforming the security landscape in J&K.