In big shift, Indian Army steps up winter ops in Kishtwar, Doda

New Delhi: In a departure from earlier practice, the Army has intensified winter operations in Doda and Kishtwar, seeking to flush out residual terrorist groups during the coldest weeks in Jammu & Kashmir through simultaneous deployments in valleys, mid-ranges, and high-altitude areas.

The push coincides with Chillai Kalan-the harshest winter phase from December 21 to January 31-and is aimed at expanding security presence in snowbound terrain historically used by terrorists to infiltrate or lie low.

Sources said Army units have been conducting aggressive patrolling along high-altitude ridgelines in recent days to deny rest or shelter to armed groups operating in the region. Additional troops with specialised winter gear have been deployed, supported by modern surveillance technology.

The Army is leading coordinated operations involving the civil administration, Jammu & Kashmir Police (JKP), CRPF, Special Operations Group (SOG), Forest Guards and Village Defence Guards (VDGs). “Synergy between ground units and intelligence networks has reduced response time, allowing swift action on actionable leads,” a source said, adding that current assessments indicate 30-35 active terrorists in the Jammu region, many of whom have shifted to higher or middle-mountain belts to evade detection. There are also reports of attempts to coerce villagers for food and shelter.

Under the new posture, troops first clear areas through ground patrols and then maintain sustained surveillance to prevent re-entry or movement of terrorists.

Specially trained winter-warfare sub-units have been positioned across key sectors. These troops are skilled in high-altitude survival, snow navigation, avalanche response and cold-weather combat.

The Army is also deploying newly inducted systems to support the winter grid, including drone-based reconnaissance, ground sensors, surveillance radars, thermal imaging devices and unmanned aerial systems.