Militant Attacks Surge In Jammu And Kashmir, Leaving Over A Dozen Dead In Two Weeks

These wave of attacks began on October 9, when the bullet-riddled body of Territorial Army soldier Hilal Ahmad Bhat was found in Anantnag.

Srinagar: In a sharp escalation of violence, Jammu and Kashmir faced a series of militant attacks over the past two weeks, resulting in over a dozen deaths. Seven attacks targeted the union territory in this short span, with the latest incident on October 24 in Gulmarg, claiming four lives so far.

In this most recent attack, militants ambushed an Army vehicle near the tourist destination of Gulmarg in north Kashmir's Baramulla district on Thursday evening. The attack killed two soldiers and two civilian porters while injuring several others, who were evacuated to a nearby hospital.

Security forces, according to the officials, responded with a massive search operation along the Line of Control (LoC), shutting down all travel routes and shutting down tourist-related activities in Gulmarg as a massive search operation was launched to nab the attackers.

The Gulmarg attack followed another incident hours earlier in which a labourer from Uttar Pradesh was mysteriously injured in the Tral area of Pulwama district.

These incidents are part of an ongoing wave of attacks that began on October 9, when the bullet-riddled body of Territorial Army soldier Hilal Ahmad Bhat was found in Anantnag.

Bhat, who had been abducted by militants alongside a fellow soldier who managed to escape, was one of the first casualties in this recent string of attacks. The violence continued with an attack on October 18 in which a labourer from Bihar was fatally shot in the Shopian district.

His body was found in a field in Wachi, riddled with gunshots, sending shockwaves through the community. Two days later, militants struck again, killing seven people, including six migrant labourers and a local doctor, at a construction site for the Z-Morh tunnel in Kashmir's Ganderbal district.

According to security officials, these latest incidents reflect a resurgence of organised militant activity in the area, with the aim of unsettling the region just as it seeks stability following the recent election results.

An Army official in north Kashmir said, "We are taking all necessary measures to ensure safety and security, especially in areas close to the LoC where infiltration attempts are suspected." The increased targeting of both civilians and military personnel follows earlier high-profile attacks this year.

In July, five soldiers were killed in the Kathua district when militants launched a surprise attack on two Army vehicles, using grenades and firearms. The Army fired in retaliation, but the attack marked one of the year's most major strikes against military forces in the region.

In Rajouri earlier this year, militants launched an assault on the home of a Village Defense Committee (VDC) member, sparking a prolonged gunfight that ended with one militant killed.

Recent data from the Jammu and Kashmir Police indicate a sustained wave of ambushes, with 15 major attacks on the Army recorded since October 2021, resulting in a total of 53 fatalities. Seven officers have lost their lives since September 2023 alone.