As terrorists plot attacks on Battle of Badr anniversary, security forces on high alert in Kashmir – Indian Defence Research Wing


SOURCE: TIMES NOW

According to intelligence inputs, the Jaish-e-Mohammed may be planning spectacular strikes in Jammu and Kashmir on May 11, which could be in the form of suicide missions against Army and paramilitary units The killing of 35-year-old Riyaz Naikoo, a top commander of the terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, is a major breakthrough for security forces in Kashmir. The Indian security establishment believes that this is an important operational victory for the forces – Naikoo, a local Kashmiri and one of the most wanted men in the Valley, had managed to evade the police and troops for eight years.

His elimination in an encounter in a village in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district will also send out a message to those local youth who tend to romanticise people like Naikoo, senior officials believe.

Naikoo’s death comes during a bloody week in Kashmir in which Indian troops have been targeted by militant groups, especially in north Kashmir, leading to several deaths, including that of an Army colonel.

Security forces have quickly struck back, but another potentially deadly challenge awaits them just days ahead on May 11, when terror attacks often see a spurt, on the occasion of the anniversary of the Battle of Badr, a significant moment in early Islamic history, during the month of Ramzan.

An excuse to step up attacks?

The Battle of Badr was a defining event in Muslim history and is recognised as a major military victory of Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century. It led to the political consolidation of the then young religion of Islam in Mecca and Medina, from where it quickly spread to the rest of the Arab world.

While the battle is undoubtedly a significant event in world history, in Kashmir, terrorists have sometimes used the day as an excuse to step up attacks on security forces. This year, things are already tense in the Valley in the backdrop of the Naikoo encounter and the increase in terrorist incidents in the past week. So the army, paramilitary forces and the Jammu and Kashmir police personnel will have their hands full in the next few days leading up to the 17th day of Ramzan, which falls on May 11 this year.

According to intelligence inputs, the Jaish-e-Mohammed may be planning spectacular strikes in Jammu and Kashmir, which could be in the form of suicide missions against Army and paramilitary units, a report in the Hindustan Times said.

April was a particularly good month for anti-terror operations, which saw 28 terrorists being eliminated by security forces in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. But the recent rise in terrorist activity in north Kashmir, where Army and CRPF personnel were targetted, indicates that Pakistani handlers could be gearing up for multiple strikes on May 11.



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