Temporary Bases in Pir Panjal Shift Counter-Terror Playbook

Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have adopted a new approach in the Pir Panjal mountains, using temporary operational bases to maintain a sustained presence in terrain that has long favoured militants moving between the Kashmir Valley and Jammu.

The shift was underscored by an operation on September 4, when a Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist was killed at Ashdar Gali in the upper reaches of the Pir Panjal, which connect Kashmir with Poonch district in Jammu. The killing followed a four-month effort by joint forces comprising the Army, its elite para units, the Jammu and Kashmir Police and paramilitary forces deployed in the dense forests.

A senior police officer described the temporary operational bases as an arrangement to maintain a more permanent footprint in difficult mountain terrain. Under the setup, troops remain deployed in the mountains for extended periods, ranging from more than ten days to several months. Where natural shelter is available, such as a Gujjar dhok or a cave, it is used as a base; otherwise, personnel operate from the forests without shelter.

Officials said the mountains are divided into three zones. Elite paratroopers are typically deployed in the upper reaches, while the middle range is manned either by the Rashtriya Rifles or by joint teams of police and paramilitary forces, depending on requirements. The lower reaches usually have police and paramilitary personnel.

After the Pahalgam attack on tourists in April last year, in which 25 tourists and one local were killed, the Jammu and Kashmir Police established a new elite unit within its Special Operations Group to strengthen operations in challenging terrain. The unit, named Snow Leopards and Markhor after high-altitude wild animals known for strength, resilience, precision and speed, has personnel trained with different elite forces in the country. Snow Leopards are trained for high-altitude warfare in rough winter terrain, while Markhors are trained for gunfights in dense forests.

Another senior officer said paratroopers, specially trained and equipped for high-altitude warfare, are often stationed at mountain tops and use drones to monitor large areas. This has helped security forces keep a closer watch on transit routes used by terrorists and curtail their movement.

Officials said that over the last four years, terrorists have often exploited high-altitude transit routes through dense forests to move between the two regions. In high altitudes, militants earlier held several advantages, including stationary positions from which to watch soldiers and sophisticated weapons such as the American M4 carbine, which is highly effective in close combat. Special troops deployed in these mountains are now equipped with comparable weapons and night vision devices for effective patrolling after dark.

The Pir Panjal range divides Jammu and Kashmir. To its south lie Poonch and Rajouri districts, which connect to the Line of Control. To the north lies the Kashmir Valley, from Anantnag in the south to Budgam in central Kashmir. The mountains link Kashmir with the Pir Panjal region of Jammu on one side and the Chenab Valley, comprising Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts, on the other. In Kashmir, the range stretches to Gulmarg and Baramulla, connecting the Valley to the Line of Control.

The Poonch-Rajouri axis was once a militant hotbed, with large numbers of militants, mostly foreigners, moving openly through the forests. In 2003, the Army, with help from locals, launched Operation Sarp Vinash to flush out militants, and the region was declared militant-free in 2012.

In recent years, however, the difficult, densely forested mountains have posed a major challenge, since permanent encampments were considered technically infeasible given the vast area, treacherous terrain and logistical issues. Earlier, when forces launched operations south of the Pir Panjal, terrorists would move into the Kashmir Valley, and sustained pressure on the other side would push them towards Poonch and Rajouri. Officials said the temporary bases have removed that advantage by allowing forces to maintain a sustained presence across these routes.

Other challenges persist, including changing overground worker networks and newer hideouts, which make tracking difficult. A senior Army official overseeing a counter-terror operation in Udhampur, in which two Jaish-e-Mohammed militants were killed on September 16, said militants have been setting up new hideouts since 2020 without taking help from locals, making them harder to trace. He cited the case of Saifullah, a top JeM commander killed in an encounter in February after a two-year chase. A phone recovered from Saifullah, one of three militants killed in Kishtwar district's Chatroo, led officials to an underground hideout stocked with a gas stove and winter food. Photographs on the phone showed terrorists cutting trees and preparing the hideout, which is why it remained undetected by the local population.

Officials hope the temporary bases will address such problems. The bases are scattered across the mountains based on intelligence inputs and ground situation analysis. While most remain operational for a few weeks, some, such as one at Ashdar Gali above the Doodhpathri meadow, are maintained for several months depending on the security situation and intelligence inputs. An officer said around 40 to 50 such bases could be operational across the area at any given time, with the number changing based on intelligence and strategic decisions.

Security officials said the tactic has largely worked, with a significant reduction in terrorist attacks on either side of the Pir Panjal. The last one-and-a-half years saw one major attack in the area, the Pahalgam strike. Three terrorists have been killed this month in various encounters: two in Udhampur's forests and a Pakistan-based LeT terrorist at Ashdar Gali. An official said the pressure has been sustained, helping prevent attacks, and that all gunfights over this period were initiated by security forces, leading to the loss of wanted terrorists including the Pahalgam attackers, the Saifullah group in Kishtwar and the militant killed at Ashdar Gali.