It was difficult to decipher whether the young man wearing worn-out jeans and a utility jacket was noticing everyone at the Lal Chowk in Srinagar. No one noticed him either. He clicks a picture with the Clock Tower in the background, something that every visitor does ever since the market was revived last year. He smiles and moves inside a nearby eatery to have wazwan cuisine. On other days, he has a pizza with a soft drink or momos, which he relishes with a soup.

But this man is no ordinary “funky teenager”. Security forces allege that he is responsible for the killing of non-locals.

While militancy may seem to have shifted from Kashmir to Jammu, security officers believe the base of militant activities still continues to be in the Valley. These battle-hardened “funky guys” are now holding sway in Kashmir.

The new faceless militant network in Central Kashmir, particularly Srinagar, has got men with no formal arms training. Instead, the security establishment has found that in this age of technology, it is through YouTube that the boys get trained in arms and get orders from their handlers across the border to get the job done.

In most cases, these boys have been identified as over ground workers (OGWs) for the militants. Officers involved in counterinsurgency in Kashmir say it is “shadow militancy” that is now prevalent in Kashmir. A senior officer in the security establishment says it is difficult to categorise a militant in this scenario, as there are no criminal cases registered against these “faceless” young men and also they don’t announce themselves on the scene.

“It is difficult to track the transition from OGWs to becoming a militant. There is no formal switch over. It just happens. That’s why it is difficult to dig out,” says another security officer. This scenario is different from what was witnessed post-Burhan Wani era in Kashmir, when boys with gun-wielding photographs and videos would be all over social media.

Though the situation is under control, the officers say any let-down of their guard could mean disaster. According to figures provided by various security agencies, there are around 80 to 100 militants, mostly “foreign terrorists” operating in Jammu and Kashmir.

The number of locals joining militancy, as per official records, has gone down. At least 20-25 local militants are operating in Jammu and Kashmir, mostly in the Valley, which is lowest in 35 years.

A senior officer posted in Kashmir, who has many years of experience in counterinsurgency, says that this time it is “hybrid militancy” which is prevalent in central Kashmir, particularly in some areas of Srinagar. The officer says the modus operandi used in this sort of “guerrilla tactic” is that one person drops a weapon, a pistol or a grenade, at a particular spot and another person picks it up and gets the job done—maybe kills a non-local, cop or some other “soft target”. “Both the weapon provider and assailant are unknown to each other. They get their messages from across the border. Their job is to execute, says the officer. After the job is done, both the weapons provider and the assailant get back to their daily routine.

The Valley’s hinterland, as per officials, is a militancy-free zone to a large extent, as of now. This, they believe, has been made possible by a massive crackdown on the “terror ecosystem”. “Killing a militant and fighting militancy are two different things,” says another senior officer posted in Kashmir.

For a militant to thrive, he needs money, shelter, people (OGW network) and target identification. But the security establishment has been able to thwart this technique to a large extent, which is why Kashmir is witnessing low militant figures.

There are areas in Kashmir, where security agencies have witnessed boys turning into militants. Though their numbers are low, the officers believe that ‘past baggage and history’ are luring them towards guns. The officers cite the example of 30-year-old Aadil Dentoo from Sopore, who has become a Lashkar-e-Taiba’s (LeT’s) militant. Traditionally, Sopore is considered to be a separatist bastion.

Similarly, in south Kashmir’s Kulgam-Yaripora belt, 35-year-old Farooq Ahmad Bhat aka Farooq Nali from Check Dasun village is now one of the oldest surviving militants. Bhat is believed to be with the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen. Bhat is said to be the only surviving militant of the Burhan Wani era. Sometime ago, many in the security establishment believed that Bhat has crossed over to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

From Kulgam, 24-year-old Umais Wani alias Khubaib from Chawalgam village, who had joined The Resistance Front (TRF) in 2020, was active till September 28, this year when he was killed in an encounter, along with 22-year-old Aqib Nazir Shergujri from Budgam’s Chadoora village, who had joined the militant ranks in 2022. Chadoora is also the native village of former Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Yasin Itoo, who too was killed. Itoo was among the only few active militants who was able to survive the 1990s crackdown, after faking his death several times. This year, at least six boys from Kulgam have joined the militant ranks, said an officer posted in south Kashmir. Pulwama Riyaz Ahmad Dar alias Khalid or Sheeraz from south Kashmir also joined the TRF (actually LeT) gaining the attention of security forces. Among the top names said to be from Kashmir’s indigenous militant group, Hizb, include Zubair Ahmad Wani alias Zuba Kachoor from south Kashmir’s Araha Deruna village in Dooru Anantnag.

Security forces are also wary about “guys” disrupting peace in north Kashmir, especially the foreign militants. On the radar is Jaish-e-Mohammed’s divisional commander Umar from Pakistan. He is said to be operating under various pseudonyms including Sultan, Musa, Kari Saad and Basit.

On the outskirts of Srinagar, security forces are monitoring the movement of another Pakistani LeT militant, ‘Khargos’ (rabbit). He is said to be operating in the Ganderbal-Harwan-Tral belt. Officials say he has also been able to “indoctrinate” a few of the local boys.

Security officers say while the Hizb militants are at an all-time low, it is militants from the LeT and the Jaish who are active on the ground as of now. Officers also say that the militants are adopting a strategy to occupy key positions in the Valley. For instance, a top security official says in south Kashmir, militants are hiding somewhere deep inside the jungles of Anantnag. “These positions give them an advantage to move towards Kishtwar and Doda in the east and also to Ramban in the south,” he says.

Another officer posted in north Kashmir says that militants, mostly foreigners from across the border, are hiding themselves in jungles close to the Line of Control (LoC). “They sometimes try to move back. We also have instances of infiltration. It is here they get killed too,” he says.

Some of the regions where security forces have found militant activity include the upper ranges of the Doodhpathri belt touching the Poonch-Rajouri belt. Besides, the Lolab Valley in north Kashmir is once again witnessing militant activity. In south Kashmir, militant activity has increased in the upper reaches of Anantnag, where they are easily able to cross over to Doda and Poonch.

Both Jaish and LeT are operating under different names in Jammu and Kashmir to avoid international scrutiny. Officials say the People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), the TRF and the Kashmir Freedom Fighters (KFF) are associated with LeT, while Kashmir Tigers is actually Jaish.

Militancy in Jammu

The intense pressure on the “terror ecosystem” in the Valley is said to be the reason for militants shifting their battleground from Kashmir to Jammu. Following the shift of security forces, particularly the Army, from the Jammu region towards the LAC, the advantage was taken over by the enemy. This is when, officials say, post-2020-21, the militants from across the border sneaked through the International Border (IB) into Jammu. The men who crossed over are said to be no normal militants, but Special Service Group (SSG) commandos from the Pakistan Army—well versed with intense warfare.

In the past 34 months, at least 48 security personnel have been killed in attacks in the Jammu region. On July 16, 2024, four Army soldiers were killed in action in Doda. On July 8, 2024, five Army personnel were killed in action and five others were injured after militants attacked a military convoy in Kathua district. On June 11-12, 2024, six soldiers were injured in twin attacks. On June 9, 2024, nine people were killed and 33 injured after a bus full of pilgrims―when attacked by militants―plunged into a gorge in Reasi. On May 4, 2024, one soldier of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was killed in action and five others were injured when two vehicles, including one from the IAF, came under militant attack in Poonch district. On December 21, 2023, four soldiers were killed in action. On November 22, 2023, five soldiers, including two captains, were killed in action. In April-May 2023, 10 soldiers were killed in twin attacks. On May 13, 2022, four persons were killed after a pilgrim bus was attacked in Katra. On December 14, 2021, four soldiers were killed in action.

He says after the initial attacks on security forces, now the confrontations are taking place when the security forces are approaching to “gun them down”.

Another security officer involved in counterinsurgency in the Jammu belt says that it is the region’s topography that is “actually” helping these militants. “Unlike Kashmir, there is no snow on the mountains. Besides, there are crevices, gorges and riverines, which provide a perfect place for them to hide,” he says.

A local officer from Jammu says that the less density of population in the Jammu belt, particularly in the Kishtwar mountains, Doda and Kathua, is also affecting “intelligence gathering”. “It takes many days for the patrolling parties to even reach areas in Kishtwar’s Desa. Such is the topography,” he says.