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Change in strategy of terrorists worries India

After the May 27 speech of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, there has been a drop in cross-border infiltration, but a change in militant strategy has resulted in far-less terrorists being killed, according to Indian agencies.

They also believe that the terrorists, with active support from the Inter-Services Intelligence, will do everything to scuttle the assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir.

The following statistics compare the violence in the state from May 27 to July 11 and the 45 days prior to May 27.

• There were 378 terrorist attacks compared to 434 prior to May 27. Sixty-three were targeted at security forces, while in the preceding period the number of such attacks was 70.

• There is little change in the number of security personnel killed. Between May 27 and July 11, 44 of them were killed compared to 46.

• The number of civilians killed dropped from 134 to 101.

• What is striking is the number of terrorist killed -- 149 compared to 263.

The terrorists are now selecting soft targets where the chances of getting killed are less. In Qasim Nagar, where 27 slum dwellers were killed on Saturday, the terrorists managed to escape despite a four-hour gun battle and extensive search by security agencies.

Intelligence and security agencies also assess that there is a clear attempt at stalling the proposed elections to the state assembly. Along with security forces, political workers have also been targeted in the past 45 days.

"Targeting of political workers would increase in the coming days," an old Kashmiri hand said.

Robberies have also increase. In fact, security forces claim that for a long time there were hardly any robberies, but with the increase in crackdown on their funding, the terrorists operating in J&K are getting desperate.

In July were two bank robberies. A local was also looted at gunpoint.

"We have managed to disrupt some of their well-settled funding routes. But it won't be too late before they open up new channels," said a senior security officer.

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