September 14, 2025

Terror outfits in Jammu and Kashmir have changed their playbook! Now, instead of hiding in local houses, they are building cleverly designed underground bunkers hidden deep inside thick forests and high ridges. Officials shared this on Sunday, saying this new tactic is a big headache for the Army and security forces. Why this change? Because terrorists are losing support from local people. Last week, during a fierce encounter in the hills of Kulgam district, security forces killed two terrorists. As they searched the area, they found a secret trench stocked with rations, small gas stoves, pressure cookers, plus weapons and ammo! One senior officer, who wished to stay anonymous, said this trend is now common in Kulgam and Shopian districts, as well as south of Pir Panjal in Jammu. The thick forests here act like a perfect disguise. Officials are worried because recent intelligence warns that terrorists have been ordered to stay high up on ridges and strike only when told by their handlers across the border. "It's not the number of kills," said one official. "It's a troubling trend that indicates terrorists are now well-established inside these underground bunkers." Retired Lt Gen D S Hooda, the hero who led the 2016 surgical strikes, says these mountain bunkers remind him of terror tactics from the 1990s and early 2000s. Lt Gen Hooda also pointed out the big problem that human intelligence is missing now — which was once a key tool in fighting terror. Still, he believes "the Army will re-evaluate its strategy" to tackle this new challenge. B Srinivas, retired Director General of Puducherry Police who served three decades in Jammu and Kashmir Police, agrees. He said terrorists build these secret bunkers because they can no longer trust homes in villages and towns. Local people are turning away from separatism, so terrorists feel locals might report them. This is like an old trick used in 2003’s 'Operation Sarp Vinash' when forces struck hidden terror camps in Poonch. To beat this game, security teams plan to use high-tech tools. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) equipped drones and seismic sensors will help spot underground bunkers hidden under thick forests and ridges. Drones can fly to hard spots, while GPR and sensors detect empty spaces under earth. The goal is clear — better intelligence and new tech will help security forces find and destroy remaining terrorists hiding underground. In the past, from 2020 to 2022, the Army faced similar underground bunkers but mostly in residential areas like Pulwama, Kulgam, and Shopian. One tough hideout was in the middle of Rambi Ara river, where terrorists used an iron bunker. Troops found the entrance cleverly hidden inside an empty oil barrel. Another underground room, covered by apple trees in Bandpoh, was exposed after troops noticed a polythene sheet and freshly disturbed earth. Even stranger, in Labipora (Shopian), terrorists hid inside an iron box by a riverbank with a small pipe for breathing! This new battle in the dense forests and high ridges will test the security forces’ wit and willpower. But with fresh eyes and tech gadgets, the fight against terror goes on with renewed energy and strategy.

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Tags: Jammu and kashmir, Terrorism, Underground bunkers, Security forces, Drones, Counter-terrorism,