Recent terrorist activities in Jammu's Reasi district, along with multiple other attacks across the region, have sparked alarm and raised concerns among residents. In light of these incidents, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked officials to deploy the full strength of the counter-terror apparatus against the perpetrators of the attacks in Jammu.
Jammu has seen a spike in such activities since 2021, even as the region was relatively more peaceful after the 1990s, when these regions were militancy hotspots.
Incidents of terrorism-induced violence surged notably in the later-half of 2021, continuing through the last quarter. The Jammu division, comprising 10 districts—Jammu, Doda, Kathua, Ramban, Reasi, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur, and Samba—witnessed a rise in terrorist attacks, targeting civilians and security forces alike, according to the India Foundation Jammu and Kashmir Security Tracker 2021 report, which tracked terrorist activities in the region.
"Incidents of terrorism-induced violence saw a slight surge in the second quarter of 2021. This surge has continued in the third (quarter), that is, July–September, and the fourth quarter, that is, October-December of 2021," the report stated.
In the third quarter, 28 terrorist attacks were reported, targeting civilians and security forces. This further surged to 34 attacks between October and December, as opposed to 24 between April and June, and 16 in the first quarter of 2021. Few months of the third and fourth quarter witnessed the most violent incidents in Jammu and Kashmir since August 2018.
In June 2021, a drone attack on the Jammu Air Force Station caught authorities off-guard, signalling a new dimension to terrorist tactics in the region. Subsequently, in June 2024, militants targeted a bus en route to Katra, the basecamp of the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, resulting in the deaths of seven pilgrims and injuring many others.
Throughout 2021 and into 2022, various districts in Jammu reported notable incidents. In Poonch district, arrests, encounters, and thwarted infiltration bids indicated heightened terrorist activity. Rajouri district witnessed civilian attacks and encounters, alongside mysterious blasts, reflecting growing security concerns.
Samba district reported suspicious drone activities, while Jammu district saw multiple arrests and drone sightings, according to the report.
In 2022, Doda district experienced apprehensions and the discovery of a terrorist hideout. Udhampur district, which has been violence-free since 2018, witnessed three targeted civilian attacks, attributed to Lashkar-e-Taiba, resulting in one fatality and 14 injuries, the report said. A Lashkar terrorist was also apprehended separately, the report noted.
There were also revelations of tunnels along the Pakistan border in the Samba district, which has been historically peaceful. This discovery suggests infiltration routes for terrorists and smuggling operations, according to the India Foundation Jammu and Kashmir Security Tracker 2022 report.
However, in 2023, a notable shift occurred as terrorists targeted Rajouri district. The ambush in Rajouri's Bhatta Durian resulted in fatalities, reflecting the highest number of terror-related deaths since 2011.
Poonch and Rajouri emerged as the top districts for casualties, signalling a troubling trend in the region, as per the South Asia Terrorism Portal.
Terrorist attacks, ambushes, and gun battles throughout the year led to 52 deaths in Poonch and Rajouri alone, surpassing the combined toll of 82 deaths across the other 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir, the portal reported.
Rajouri and Poonch ranked among the top three districts with the highest casualties, recording 28 and 24 deaths, respectively, it said.
The rugged terrain of the Pir Panjal region could provide militants with ideal hideouts and facilitate surprise attacks and infiltration. "The use of drones by Pakistan to supply weapons, ammunition, and drugs to terrorist outfits in India remains a source of concern," stated the India Foundation Jammu and Kashmir Security Tracker 2022 report.
Similar use of drones was also made in 2021, largely in the border districts of Jammu, Kathua and Samba of the Jammu Division. The pattern had remained the same in 2022, it stated.
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