IED attacks new modus-operandi of militants in Kashmir

As militants in Kashmir are increasingly trying to target security forces with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), police and other agencies are effectively dealing to thwart their attempts.

In May, J&K police and the army averted three major tragedies when they detected and destroyed three IEDs in south Kashmir's Pulwama district. While two IEDs were detected on May 31, one was detected on May 15.

Prior to that, security forces averted another big tragedy when they detected an IED near the railway crossing in Nowgam area of central Kashmir's Budgam district on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway on February 22. Earlier on February 14, a seven-kg IED was detected and defused near the crowded general bus stand area in Jammu city.

On February 16, militants detonated an IED, hidden in a dumper, by a remote-controlled device in the Pazalpora area of Bijbehara in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. However, no one was injured in the blast. On January 27, a soldier was killed and three others were injured in an IED explosion in neighboring Kulgam district.

Sources said these incidents have forced the police and other security agencies to work out a strategy to deal with IED blasts. “There is a possibility of more IED attacks in coming months as local recruitment into militancy continues. Using IEDs to target security forces is a low cost affair for the militant organisations,” they said.

Deputy Inspector General of Police, South Kashmir Abdul Jabbar said militants are planning new attacks by planting landmines (IEDs) at various locations. “But the police have been successful in foiling these attempts with the help of intelligence reports. Police are always two steps ahead of the elements that are responsible for disturbing the peaceful atmosphere,” he told reporters.

An army official said the militants change their modus operandi every year. “In 2020, they were attacking naka parties, and this year, they are relying more on IED attacks. The militant handlers across the border are desperate to boost the morale of their cadres and IED attacks have been the strategies to inflict more casualty on security forces and create news,” he said.

“A few IED experts from across the border may have crossed over to Kashmir and joined the militants here to revitalise and use the deadly old technique of IED blasts,” the official revealed.