On May 23, Srinagar Police arrested two local hybrid terrorists affiliated with the terror outfit The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba. In a tweet, Kashmir Zone Police said they had recovered arms, ammunition, and incriminating material from the terrorists. Inspector-General of Police Vijay Kumar called it a big success for Jammu & Kashmir Police. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
What are hybrid terrorists, and why they are dangerous?
In the last couple of years, the number of hybrid terrorists or part-time terrorists is increasing in the valley. ‘Hybrid’ terrorists can be defined as unlisted radicalized persons who carry out terror strikes and slip back into their routine life often without leaving any trace. As per security agencies, these terrorists are not ultras. However, they are radicalized by the anti-national forces enough that they are willing to carry out a terror strike.
Security agencies define these terrorists as ‘boys next door’ who are kept on standby mode by the terrorist organizations. In between two tasks, these hybrid terrorists live their normal life. As they live among the general population, it is hard for security agencies to track and trace them.
To make the risk posed by them clearer, in 2021, dozens of attacks were initiated against soft targets like civilians, policemen on leave, political workers, and more. As per security agencies, most of these attacks were carried out by hybrid terrorists. In a statement in January 2021, IG Kumar said that the use of technical gadgets and monitoring social media activities help in tracing these hybrid terrorists.
Recent hybrid terrorist attacks in India
On May 1, it was reported that two hybrid terrorists were arrested by the security agencies in Kulgam and Srinagar districts. Police recovered incriminating material, arms, and ammunition, including a pistol, two grenades, and 51 pistol rounds from their possession.
On May 8, two-hybrid terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen were arrested by Police in the Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir. The police had acted upon a specific input against these terrorists. Two youths were seen trying to hide their identity at a Naka point set by the police. When challenged, they tried to flee by breaking the checkpoint. However, they were apprehended by the Police. A large cache of ammunition was recovered from their possession.
