Local support vital for tackling counter-terror operations: Army Chief General Manoj Pande

Addressing a press conference, Army Chief General Manoj Pande says Rajouri-Poonch area is witnessing terror attacks recently although the region had been peaceful since 2003. He says local support is vital for undertaking counter-terror operations and measures have been taken to establish a good rapport with locals.

New Delhi:Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Thursday said that "HUMINT (human intelligence derived from human sources) and the "local support" are the key factors in tackling counter terrorism.

While replying to mediapersons on the attacks against the security forces by the militants in Rajouri and Poonch during the annual press conference at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, Pande said local support including information from sources are vital in counter-terror operations. "The Rajouri-Poonch area which was largely free from terrorism since 2003 is now witnessing terror attacks by these Tanzims (referring to militants operating in J&K)," he said.

Last month, four Indian troops were killed via a targeted attack by the ultras which created shockwaves in the security establishment. According to the videos and photographs shared on the social media, the bodies of these troops were also mutilated. Afterwards, the Army personnel picked up a few locals from the area and three of them were found to be killed allegedly by the forces.

This created a huge outcry in the valley and in order to heal the wounds of these affected families, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, LG Manoj Sinha and Army Chief Manoj Pandey met these bereaved families.

The Army Chief also said, "Local support is extremely crucial for such counter-terror operations. We have taken a number of measures to establish good relations with the locals. It's an ongoing process and there are incidents (referring to the killings of these three people) where locals might feel alienated. The affected village has also been adopted by the Indian Army. I also visited the village".

Notably, the Indian Army also ordered a court of inquiry to look into the death of three civilians and announced compensation and jobs to their kins.

He further said, "Although the ceasefire in Jammu Kashmir is still intact, we have been seeing attacks against our forces in these areas."

The Army Chief also highlighted successful counter-terrorism efforts with 45 terrorists killed in the region in the past few years while 14 were eliminated in the past year alone.

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