Amarnath Attack: Burning The Terror House

- Bhavna Vij-Aurora

“This time, it is a fight to the finish. It is not about containing terror anymore. It is about destroying the roots of terrorism and the infrastructure that supports it.” That’s the gist of what National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval said at the meeting of top security and intelligence officers after the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims on July 10, which killed seven yatris.

The gunning down of the pilgrims, on their way back from the Amarnath shrine, has evidently further steeled the Modi government’s resolve. The security for­ces had already been pursuing a robust and aggressive policy in Kashmir, with several top terrorists killed in the past few months. The attack on the pilgrims— the first since 2002 when 11 yatris were killed as their camp was targeted—is being seen as a reaction to government’s tough stance. “Terrorists are being hun­ted down and killed,” says an official in the country’s security establishment. “As many as 104 terrorists have been killed in major operations since January this year, compared to 150 in 2016. The att­ack on the pilgrims is the result of growing frustration among the top com­manders of terrorist organisations such as Lashkar­e­Toiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen.”

It is not just about neutralising terror­ists on the ground. The government has launched a multi­pronged attack, and sympathisers, financiers and “over­ ground workers” of the terror groups are also being targeted. “It is a coordi­nated approach,” the officer explains. “The security forces—the army, CRPF and state police—are doing the job on the ground and agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax are working to choke the flow of funds.” Funding of Hurriyat leaders is already under investigation.