Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Security agencies have intensified counter-terror operations across Jammu and Kashmir after intelligence inputs pointed to an operational shift by Pakistan-backed groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, who officials say have adopted a three-pronged strategy aimed at resuming targeted strikes in the Valley.
According to an official cited by the news agency, the approach combines an online propaganda campaign aimed at Kashmiri Pandits and migrant workers with a newly established recruitment module. LeT has reportedly instructed its handlers to focus for now on small hit-and-run operations rather than larger coordinated attacks, with recruiters said to be exploiting digital anonymity to identify and approach youth in Jammu and Kashmir who have no prior police record, a tactic intended to help potential recruits evade scrutiny.
An Intelligence Bureau official explained that the strategy is designed around isolated, infrequent strikes rather than a sustained campaign, noting that such attacks require minimal planning and can be carried out by a recruit with no prior record carrying a single weapon. Officials said that once a recruit joins the network, the weapon used typically passes through around ten people before reaching the individual assigned to carry out the attack, with the recruit given latitude to choose the target, time and place rather than being assigned a specific individual. Officials said the stated targets remain limited to locals working with the Jammu and Kashmir police, Kashmiri Pandits and migrant workers.
Officials linked this shift to a marked rise in online propaganda over the past few weeks, with threats issued under the banner of the United Liberation Council circulating regularly and urging attacks on Kashmiri Pandits, local police personnel and migrant workers. An official said the online campaign serves a dual purpose, both radicalising youth toward small-scale violence and generating fear intended to pressure targeted communities into leaving the Valley altogether.
The latest round of ULC threats has also extended to women, with warnings issued against Kashmiri Pandit families and cautions against forming separate settlements, a message officials say is intended to deepen social divisions and stoke communal tension. Security agencies are said to be tracking the digital footprint behind the propaganda campaign alongside intelligence-led operations aimed at identifying recruits and the routes used to move weapons to those tasked with carrying out attacks.
Officials further noted that Lashkar-e-Taiba is believed to be positioning for larger attacks in the Valley, and is reportedly awaiting an opportunity to facilitate the infiltration of Pakistani terrorists who could be used for major operations. Until then, officials said, the group’s immediate objective appears to be sowing chaos and confusion while attempting to drive a wedge between communities in Jammu and Kashmir.
