Enough is enough says centre on terror in Kashmir, plans all out offensive

A meeting of the internal security top brass has decided to go on an all out offensive in Kashmir following the surge in the number of terrorist incidents in recent times. The meeting attended by Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, Intelligence Bureau Director, Dineshwar Sharma and Research and Analysis Wing Chief, Rajinder Khanna took stock of the situation in Kashmir following the Pampore incident in which 8 CRPF personnel were killed.

The first step would be to give more teeth to the security forces who have come under attack on numerous occasions in the recent past. It was also decided that the Border Security Force would replace the CRPF in various places in the state. This was decided as the BSF is a more specialised force to tackle terrorists when compared to the CRPF.

All out offensive:

The directive from the top brass handling internal security was to go on an all out offensive against terrorists. The intelligence sharing mechanism was also reviewed during the meeting. In the Pampore attack there was intelligence about an attack on the security forces, but the same was not specific.

The forces have been told to flush out the militants and also target their hideouts and camps. Rajnath Singh had said in the aftermath of the Pampore attack India will not hesitate to fire if its forces come under attack.

Further the security of the security convoys was also discussed during the meeting. The convoys had become sitting ducks and terrorists launched surprise attacks especially on isolated highways. It was decided that the convoys would be covered by armoured vehicles. This was one of the major flaws in the Pampore attack where the convoy was moving without an escort. Further it was also decided that the areas around where the convoys would be moving will be sanitised by the Road Opening Party.