With social distancing, Grade A intel, how Army is gunning down terrorists with precision

New Delhi, Apr 30: The Indian Army has until April gunned down 26 terrorists and these operations have been far from easy.

The coronavirus has hit the nation hard and it has been no different for the Indian Army what is standing guard at Jammu and Kashmir and the border areas. The operations have been highly successful and have been carried amidst protocols of social distancing.

Social distancing norms are being followed, while planning the operations. However, what has led to the success of the operations is the intelligence. It has been very precise and hence the Armed forces are able to carry out operations with such precision, an officer with the Intelligence Bureau told OneIndia.

Another officer said, "we are fighting a battle in very difficult times. The nation is fighting a pandemic, but these terrorists do not seem to relent. They continue to plan attacks, infiltrations and want to keep the battle going. The other reason why the operations have been successful is because there is very little movement on the streets owing to the lockdown. Earlier, crowds used to gather at encounter sites and pelt stones with a view of disrupting operations, the officer also said.

The other issue that the Forces had to face initially was the crowding at the funerals. During those times, it caused a security problem and today there is an added problem of coronavirus, which requires social distancing.

It was only recently following the killing of a terrorist in Sopore that large crowds turned up at his funeral. However, the security forces have now shifted their strategy and have successfully ensured quiet funerals for these terrorists.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, 16 terrorists have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir. This week, the authorities managed to bury four terrorists quietly at Ganderbal.

They were killed in a gunfight in Shopian in South Kashmir. On April 17, two terrorists were killed in an encounter at Shopian. The two who were killed were quietly buried at Baramulla in north Kashmir the same day after all formalities were completed.

In both these cases, the police said that the terrorists were not identified. However, in the Shopian case, the families claimed that the two terrorists were their sons. They have now approached the District Magistrate demanding that the bodies are handed over.

This is a clear message that the forces and the authorities are sending out to ensure that these terrorists are not buried in the presence of large crowds. Large crowds gathering especially in a situation like this is nothing but a nightmare. First and foremost it is a security issue and secondly, all efforts being made by the administration to curb the spread of the pandemic will be lost, the officer cited above said.

The other worry is with regard to a report that Pakistan is likely to send in COVID-19 affected terrorists into India. They are looking to take advantage of the situation and send in as many terrorists as possible into Jammu and Kashmir, the officer also said. Terrorists of both the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad have been sent closer to the border and Pakistan has been looking for an opportunity to send them into India. The IB picked up intercepts that suggested that Pakistan has activated its launch pads along the Line of Control and the International Border.

The officer cited above said that Pakistan is taking advantage of the situation, while the security forces are busy with helping the administration fight against the coronavirus outbreak. The officer said that the launchpads have at least 200 terrorists waiting to infiltrate. Pakistan also resorts to ceasefire violations even in today's situation so that they can provide cover fire to the terrorists.