Author:
Publication: The New Indian Express
Date: May 23, 2003
URL: http://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?ID=IEH20030523134827&Title=Top+Stories&rLink=0
Soon after smashing the transit
camp of militants at Hill Kaka and the surrounding ridges near Surankote,
the army were in for a few surprises as they started sifting through the
documents and telephone numbers found in the INMARSAT (Satellite phone).
Out came telephone numbers that stretched from the Aligarh Muslim University
in the North to Malappuram in Kerala.
With more documents being sent across
as the operation enters its fourth phase, the army is only beginning to
discover the extent to which the terrorists have spread their network.
``We discovered phone numbers recorded on the INMARSAT which belonged to
Kolkata, Kerala, Aligarh Muslim University, Ahmedabad and a host of other
places,'' says Maj Gen Hardev Lidder, General Officer Commanding, Romeo
Force. Besides the 12 Ak-47 rifles recovered so far, the army has also
captured over 100 kgs of plastic explosives, Rocket-Propelled Grenades,
a mortar and a massive 6,694-kg of rations that indicate the level of preparedness
the infiltrators have achieved.
A photograph found on a dead terrorist
that depicts him in front of Parliament has raised the heckles of the security
forces. Military Intelligence sources said the diaries confiscated from
the camps reveal the presence of a number of post-graduates among the militants.
``Never before have we seen such well- educated terrorists coming in. Almost
80 per cent of them are educated. In fact, one person we interrogated had
written such an excellent report that it is hard to believe his claims
that he never attended school,'' Lidder claims.
While there may be a new level of
sophistication among the ranks, it is the mass of equipment that has surprised
the army, reiterating that cross-border terrorism as well as jehad is continuing.
Operation Sarp Vinash's scope has
also increased as it progressed, at times even surprising the army units
deployed in the operation. The extent to which the terrorists had established
themselves in the area is just beginning to sink in. While the first phase
started on April 21, it picked up steam after May 4 when it entered its
fourth phase as search and destroy missions intensified and the army busted
over 90 bunkers, hideouts and arms caches.
From Surankote as troops from the
6 sector Rashtriya Rifles (RR) spread out into the hills near the Pir Panjals
the operation is likely to continue till terrorists are forced into inhabited
areas where they are easier to be neutralised, say army officials.
``Even the surgical equipment and
medicines seized indicates their level of preparedness,'' says a senior
officer. Lying on display bearing marks of Pakistani pharmaceutical companies
is a host of medicines and surgical equipment that would gladden the heart
of a local doctor manning a dilapidated primary health centre.
Meticulously maintained records
indicated the number of terrorists coming in as well as their level of
efficiency. The innocuous-looking Dhoks (huts) served as the common headquarters
of the main Tanzeems (terrorist outfits) in the area. ``The majority of
them were from the Lashkar-e-Toiba,'' says Brig Sriniwas Yargop, commanding
the sector responsible for the operation.
As the army now switches to more
search and destroy missions, they are gearing up for better infrastructure
and a possible road that will now take the local civil administration to
places it had never seen before. ``The remoteness of the area ensured that
the terrorists had a free run'' says Maj Gen Lidder. Throughout the winter
months troops fought of blizzards and knee-high snow to build heli-pads,
tracks and kutcha roads and stored supplies to before beginning their operations
as summer came. Today, as more troops head towards the hills, terror is
on the run.