Indian Army soldiers take positions near the Line of Control in Nowshera sector of Rajouri near Jammu. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: In a major shift in its counter-insurgency tactics in the Kashmir Valley and a sign of a “no-holds” barred toughening of the rules of engagement, the Army will now fan out into the hinterland in the Valley and operate in a “seeking and engagement” mode, defence sources told this newspaper.

Five sensitive areas in the Valley where incidents of militancy have been rampant recently — Kulgam, Traal, Pulwama, Budgam and Shopian — will be the focus of such operations. Except Budgam, which is near Srinagar, all other areas are in south Kashmir, the latest vortex of recent militant activity.

Abandoned in 2002, the “cordon and search operations” will be kickstarted again and will be a permanent feature of all future Army counter-insurgency operations. This involves cordoning off an area, and asking civilians and locals to step outside their homes while a hunt is carried out for militants and weapons.

“The aim is to go after the terrorists now, get behind them and hit them hard in their camps, in their homes and in their hideouts and shelters,” the sources said.

With many reported cases of militants moving around freely, displaying sophisticated weapons, the counter-insurgency grid is also being rearranged. “We will rearrange deployment patterns in the hinterland so as to control the movement of terrorists as they have been taking advantage of certain gaps in the CI grid,” a source pointed out.

This change in tactics was needed as militants are now believed to be hiding amongst the civil population and of using them as human shields, while many civilians have been found to be harbouring militants.

Quite a few Army operations against militants recently have suffered due to stone-pelting by civilians, enabling the militants to flee in the ensuing melee.

The latest incident, where the bullet-riddled body of 22-year-old Indian Army lieutenant Umar Fayyaz Parray was found on Wednesday morning has only hastened the need for a tactical change in operations.

Originally hailing from Sursona village in Kulgam and commissioned into the Rajputana Rifles, Lt. Parray’s killing has shown signs that public sympathy may be slowly turning against the militants. “We are getting open support from locals now,” the sources said, adding that six of the perpetrators behind the young lieutenant’s killing have been identified. “We are engaging our tools to nab them.”