A war of words over specific alerts after every major terror strike

Intelligence alerts in areas such as Jammu and Kashmir are issued almost everyday. No alert is specific in nature and it only goes on to warn the security personnel about a larger plan.

Nagrota, Dec 1 One week after the Intelligence Bureau issued an alert stating that the Lashkar-e-Tayiba was looking to carry out an attack on a high value military installation, the Nagrota attack took place. The army was quick to state that the intelligence alert was not specific in nature, but also said that it was looking into security lapses.

For starters this is nothing new and such an exchange of words do take place after every attack. Intelligence alerts in areas such as Jammu and Kashmir are issued almost everyday. No alert is specific in nature and it only goes on to warn the security personnel about a larger plan.

Security has to be high:

Speaking to some officers in the Intelligence Bureau and also the security establishment, one gets the impression that the first reaction is to shift the blame. The Intelligence Bureau also mentions in the aftermath of an attack that an alert was issued.

The immediate response to this would be that the alert was not specific in nature. When we listen in to intercepts, we are hearing code words. We do the maximum to decipher the conversation which is always in coded form. We get a general impression that the attack is being planned in a particular place or on some installation, the IB officer explains.

In Jammu and Kashmir today every important installation is a potential target, the IB officer explains. In the case of the Nagrota attack the intercepts went on to suggest that a Lashkar-e-Tayiba cell was being activated to carry out an attack on a high value military target. When such an alert is issued it becomes necessary for security to be enhanced across targets. No alert can pin point the exact time or location of the attack the officer adds.

An army official goes on to say that it is a bit difficult since the alert is not specific in nature. There have been a series of alerts that have been issued in the case of Jammu and Kashmir, but none have been specific in nature.

The outgoing Northern Army Command Chief Lt. General D S Hooda said on Wednesday that there were no specific intelligence alerts. Other officers said that such alerts are routine in this part of the country. These alerts are neither specific or actionable in nature, the officers say.

OneIndia News