Army Chief chairs security review meet in Jammu: ‘New Counter Terrorism Strategy rolled’

Jammu, Jul 20: Jammu and Kashmir’s Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Army chief General Upend era Dwivedi Saturday chaired two seperate joint security review meetings in Jammu where a new counter terrorism strategy was rolled that entails—“plugging the operational flaws, intensifying counter terrorist operations and tracking the hiding terrorists with active support of locals.”

Sources privy to the meeting, told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that General Dwivedi arrived in Jammu at 2:30 pm and chaired the first security review meeting at Police Headquarters, Jammu. The meeting ended at 4 pm. Sources said that at 4:30 pm, another security review meeting was held at Rajbhawan, Jammu that chaired by LG Manoj Sinha.

Both meetings, as per sources, were attended by Director General of Police (DGP) RR Swain, DG BSF, DG CRPF, Heads of Intelligence Agencies and other senior officials of army, CAPFs and J&K Police at Rajbhawan, Jammu.

The security review meetings in Jammu came close on the heels of the July 16 terrorist ambush in Doda district where five soldiers were killed and as many injured. On July 14, Prime Minister Narendera Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security. The meeting was followed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s another security review where surge in terrorist strikes in Jammu was discussed threadbare.

An official statement said that LG Sinha chaired a high-level meeting with the Army Chief, various heads of security and law enforcement agencies on the security situation in Jammu division at Rajbhawan, Jammu. “Chief of the Army Staff and the LG asked the Army, CAPFs and the Jammu Kashmir Police to pro-actively conduct coordinated counter-terrorism operations in Jammu Division,” the statement said. “We must launch meticulous and well-planned counter-terrorism operations with greater synergy between all the agencies to wipe out terrorists and those aiding and abetting them.” As per the statement, the LG also directed that the security grid should be further strengthened to ensure zero cross-border infiltration.

Earlier, in the meeting held at PHQ Jammu, sources said that the security officials discussed threadbare the modus-operandi of terrorists operating in Jammu, how they managed to sneak in, routes used by them to infiltrate, possibility of new tunnels dug along International Border and routes being used by foreign terrorists to enter Jammu via Punjab border.

They said that the Army chief stressed on well-coordinated efforts to tackle new terror challenges in the Jammu region while ensuring minimal casualties to security forces, especially the army. In the past 32 months, 41 soldiers have been killed in Jammu alone in a spate of terrorist attacks, triggering a security concern for the grid.

“The meeting focussed on plugging the operational flaws and intensifying the counter terrorist operations while following a renewed strategy,” a source said. “It was also decided to zero in on the terror-eco system and terrorist sympathisers strictly. The meeting also evolved a consensus that a close watch must be maintained on the former terrorists and Over Ground Workers (OGWs).”