Lashkar-e-Tayiba reviving proxy strategy in Kashmir, say officials
Security agencies believe Lashkar-e-Tayiba is reviving its proxy strategy in Jammu and Kashmir by targeting civilians through front organisations. Officials say recent attacks in Anantnag and Kulgam indicate a shift towards low-intensity strikes aimed at creating fear and boosting recruitment
New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed two terror attacks in a span of ten days. Both the attacks, the first at Anantnag and the most recent one at Kulgam are the handiwork of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba proxy, The Resistance Front, officials have learnt. Agencies find that Lashkar is reviving its old Kashmir strategy of using proxies to target civilians.
While these attacks are a clear intention that the Lashkar-e-Tayiba is going all out to revive its operations in Jammu and Kashmir it is also pushing a new name so that the heat is away from The Resistance Front.
Post the Anantnag attack a social media post did the rounds claiming that it was the United Liberation Council that was behind this.
Investigators, however, made it clear that this was just a way for the Lashkar-e-Tayiba to divert attention.
The agencies are probing the role of a Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative who goes by the name Latif in these attacks. His role in the attack clearly suggests that it was the Lashkar-e-Tayiba which executed the attack.
Latif has worked closely with Lashkar-e-Tayiba commander Zakir Ganai during which he had carried out strikes in Anantnag, Shopian and Kulgam.
Ganai was however killed in an operation by the security forces at Kulgam, but Latif managed to give them the slip.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that Latif undertook these attacks to send out a signal that his outfit is still relevant in the Valley.
He has decided to maintain a low profile so that he can continue to evade the security agencies.
He, however, plans on carrying out a series of low-intensity hit and run strikes across South Kashmir.
The Lashkar-e-Tayiba hopes that these attacks would help it revive itself in Kashmir and also the recruitment drive would get a boost, the official added.
Another official said that if one looks at the latest Kulgam attack, the targets were migrant workers.
This goes back to the earlier pattern of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba where it targeted only non-locals with the intention of instilling fear and forcing them to leave J&K, the official added.
Officials say that these hits are not just run of the mill actions. They clearly have a pattern to it. The Kulgam attack took place just two days after terrorist backed channels circulated threat messages and hit lists.
On their hit list are Kashmiri Pandits, the minorities and also migrant workers in the Valley. The security agencies have learnt that attacks would take place at areas which are not heavily guarded. This means that it would be the civilians who would come under attack.
These terror groups are aware that owing to high security they are not able to breach sensitive installations and Army camps. This has led the Lashkar-e-Tayiba to re-strategise and go back to target innocent civilians.
By carrying out low profile attacks at regular intervals in which civilians are the target, the Lashkar-e-Tayiba aims at making a big impact, officials point out.
An official said that in order to execute such attacks, the Lashkar-e-Tayiba has also instructed its operatives to carry pistols and not the AK-47 which other is the natural choice of weapon for the outfit.
Pistols can be easily concealed and would not come under much scrutiny. Another headache for the security agencies is the kind of recruitment that the outfit is undertaking.
It has been scouting for persons with no criminal records. An official said that such persons would not be used for more than one attack. They would need to strike just once and then go off the radar. This would clearly cause confusion in the minds of the security agencies who would find it hard to track such elements.
Officials say that while civilians, especially the non-locals and minorities are the primary target, the Lashkar-e-Tayiba also wants to target the security forces.
In the Anantnag attack, the Lashkar-e-Tayiba killed 35-year old Hussain, a Head Constable. He was a resident of Budgam district and was killed while he was guarding the Amarnath Yatra.
The Lashkar-e-Tayiba has for long warned the local Kashmiris who join the police or other security forces to leave their jobs and join them. They feel that these persons are not supporting their so-called Kashmir cause.
Many who have continued to work despite these threats and have also been targeted. The Lashkar-e-Tayiba also wants such attacks to continue in the Valley, an official noted.
