Srinagar, Sep 15: Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir are facing a new challenge as terror outfits have begun constructing underground bunkers deep inside dense forests and on elevated ridges, shifting away from their earlier practice of taking shelter in local houses, officials said on Sunday.
The tactical shift is seen as a result of declining local support, forcing terrorists to build hidden shelters in remote terrains. The trend came to light during a recent encounter in the higher reaches of Kulgam district, where two terrorists were killed. After the gunfight, security forces discovered a secret trench stocked with rations, miniature stoves, pressure cookers, and weapons.
A senior officer, requesting anonymity, said the practice has now become common in Kulgam, Shopian, and parts of Jammu south of the Pir Panjal range, where thick forests provide natural cover. Intelligence inputs suggest terrorists are being directed to remain concealed in these areas and launch attacks only when ordered from across the border.
Retired Lt Gen D S Hooda, who commanded the Northern Command and led the 2016 surgical strikes, said the development is reminiscent of tactics seen in the 1990s and early 2000s. He added that the absence of strong human intelligence networks is a concern but expressed confidence that the Army would adapt its counter-strategy.
Retired IPS officer B Srinivas, who spent decades with the J\&K Police, said terrorists are now being forced to dig bunkers because they can no longer rely on towns and villages for shelter, with locals increasingly unwilling to support them.
Security experts compared the situation to 2003’s ‘Operation Sarp Vinash’, when forces destroyed concealed terror camps in Poonch. Officials said similar underground hideouts were discovered in the past, including in Pulwama, Kulgam, and Shopian, where terrorists created cavities inside houses, orchards, or even riverside structures to evade detection.
To tackle the new threat, security agencies are planning to deploy advanced technology such as ground-penetrating radar (GPR)-equipped drones and seismic sensors, which can detect underground voids and man-made structures in forested areas.
“The immediate priority is to strengthen intelligence in these forest belts and use technology to neutralise such bunkers,” an official said.
