Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Aug 29: South Kashmir has been put on heightened alert after Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) fidayeen attack in Pulwama District Police Lines (DPL) that led to killing of eight policemen including 4 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and police questioned the Public Heath Engineering employees, whose office is near the DPL.
The DPL attack surprised the security agencies as it came after over two months of successful operations during which over two dozen militants were killed in the area including top commanders. Security forces this year achieved major successes against the militants killing a record number of 136 militants and putting pressure on them.
A top security force official said that security forces have been put on heightened alert following inputs that there are around one dozen JeM militants in South Kashmir who have recently infiltrated into Kashmir and are trying to carry out DPL like strikes in South Kashmir.
Sand bunkers have been established at certain places on roads leading to sensitive security locations in Pulwama and other district and mobile bunkers have also been put in place at various places to prevent any DPL like strike.
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The official said that since there was no JeM presence in South Kashmir till last month, the new development came after security forces achieved major successes against the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen whose militants including their chief commanders Abu Dujana and Yaseen Itoo were killed by security forces.
Sources said that security forces had already made inroads in the two outfits of LeT and Hizb which has blunted their striking capability. However, they said that security agencies didn’t know much about the JeM as it surfaced in the region this month only.
However, sources said, two local boys, one each from Tral and Bamno areas of Pulwama, have joined the JeM and are providing logistic support to these militants.
The JeM was trying to set up base in South Kashmir and its two senior commanders, Adil Pathan and Burme stayed in South Kashmir for two years but failed to get any foothold before they were killed in Tral on October 8, 2015. However, they had some Over Ground Workers (OGWs) network which the security agencies felt these newly infiltrated militants may use. They, however, have been put under surveillance.
In the meantime, security agencies are looking for clues about the DPL fidayeen attack. They questioned the PHE employees whose office is in the vicinity of the DPL and from where the fidayeen entered into the complex. The employees, who were on duty that night, were also asked if they had any clue about the fidayeen and their accomplices.
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