Srinagar : In a concerning tactical shift, terror outfits operating in Jammu and Kashmir have begun constructing sophisticated underground bunkers deep within forested and mountainous terrain, abandoning their earlier reliance on safe houses in villages, officials revealed on Sunday.
This evolving strategy came to light during a recent encounter in the higher reaches of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, where two terrorists were neutralised by security forces. Upon combing the area, troops discovered a concealed trench stocked with ration supplies, miniature gas stoves, pressure cookers, as well as weapons and ammunition—clear signs of a long-term hideout.
Security officials say the new approach marks a strategic response to eroding local support, forcing terrorists to retreat into natural cover across dense forests in districts like Kulgam, Shopian, and parts of the Jammu region south of the Pir Panjal range. These rugged terrains provide natural camouflage, making detection significantly more difficult for counter-terror forces.
“It’s not just about the number of terrorists eliminated,” said a senior officer involved in anti-terror operations, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It’s the growing establishment of underground infrastructure that worries us. These are not temporary shelters—they’re designed for long-term concealment.”
A Tactic Revisited
Retired Lt Gen D S Hooda, who led the 2016 surgical strikes and formerly commanded the Northern Command, likened the new bunkers to tactics observed during the height of militancy in the 1990s and early 2000s. He noted with concern the diminishing availability of actionable human intelligence, which once served as a cornerstone of counter-terror efforts in the region.
“These bunkers point to a calculated move to evade human detection,” Hooda said. “The Army will undoubtedly recalibrate its strategy to counter this evolving threat.”
Echoing this sentiment, former Director General of Puducherry Police B Srinivas, who spent three decades with the Jammu and Kashmir Police, said the construction of forest bunkers reflects the militants’ isolation. “With locals increasingly unwilling to provide shelter, terrorists are now relying on terrain over trust,” Srinivas noted.
Lessons from the Past
Security officials draw parallels to Operation Sarp Vinash in 2003, when the Army successfully dismantled hidden terror camps in the Poonch region. The current developments suggest a possible return to similar entrenched militant strategies, with hideouts engineered to escape both visual detection and local tip-offs.
Examples from past operations highlight the ingenuity of these tactics. In one case, troops discovered a concealed iron bunker in the middle of the Rambi Ara stream, entered via a disguised oil barrel. In another, an underground chamber hidden beneath apple orchards in Bandpoh was found after soldiers noticed freshly disturbed earth and an oddly placed plastic sheet.
At Labipora in Shopian, militants went a step further by hiding in an underground iron box camouflaged along a riverbank, breathing through a discreet pipe left above the ground.
Tech to the Fore
In response to these developments, security agencies are planning to augment their operational capabilities with advanced technology. Plans are underway to deploy drones equipped with ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and seismic sensors to detect underground voids and structural anomalies during counter-insurgency missions.
“These technologies can revolutionise the way we track and neutralise such hidden shelters,” said another official familiar with the planning. “Drones can reach areas inaccessible by foot patrols, and GPR can see what the naked eye can’t.”
The immediate focus, sources said, is to strengthen intelligence collection in remote forest belts and integrate these technologies into standard operating procedures. Agencies are also reassessing patrolling routes and surveillance strategies in high-altitude and thickly wooded zones.
As the ground reality shifts, it is becoming increasingly clear that terror groups are adapting to survive—not through local networks, but through isolation and stealth. While this reflects a loss of local influence, it also presents a fresh operational challenge that security forces must now confront.
The terrain may be unforgiving, but the security apparatus is already mobilising to ensure that the bunkers—no matter how deep or hidden—do not become safe havens for a fading militancy.
