Himachal headed for prolonged battle with ultras

What8217;s more, the militants, who also include foreign mercenaries from Afghanistan and Sudan, seem to be familiar with the landscape and the escape routes. They possess modern weaponry besides high frequency wireless sets which can readily intercept secret messages flashed on the movement and deployment of security forces in the area. The spotting of the militants in Gulaba, near Manali late last week shows they are also entering the adjoining districts.

Himachal Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, who camped here for two days, admits that the government might take quite some time to overcome the problem.

8220;It is a war which has just begun,8221; he told locals before leaving Chamba.While the para-militry forces and armed policemen are being deployed in the sensitive border villages, a broad strategy to smashthe militant hideouts on both sides of the border is yet to be hammered out. The security forces are in fact awaiting the return of the 800-odd families of nomadic Gujjars and Gaddis Hindus from the higher reaches. Deputy Commissioner, Chamba, Tarun Kapoor, says, 8220;It is in the interest of their own safety to leave isolated peaks in view of the dangers up there.8221;

The authorities share the apprehension that the militants might have succeeded in establishing bases and acquired the ability to strike identified targets. This is borne out by the seizure of ammunition and the killing of 42 persons in the past two months, 38 within this month. But they have not been able to tear the secular fabric, says Faqir Mohammad, pradhan of the Brandhal panchayat where the militants killed three Gaddis.

8220;Complete harmony prevails here although the militants had tried to break our century-old ties with the Hindu brothers,8221; asserts Faqir.

8220;The effort of the government and political leaders should be to educate thelocals on how to maintain communal aminty and assist the security forces in cracking down on the militants hiding in the area,8221; counsels former minister and local Congress MLA Asha Kumari.

A large number of Muslim Gujjars this reporter met during his visit to some of the affected villages also came forward with suggestions for dealing with the problem and providing arms to the villagers. Dhumal has already promised to act on their suggestions and asked them to identify the 8220;black sheep8221; among them to enable the government to smash the militant-local nexus. He has warned that if the police spotted locals harbouring militants, they would meet the treatment meted out to the militants.

The problems faced by the security personnel, many unfamiliar with the weather and the geographical terrain, are also multi-pronged. Many villages are without road links or places where jawans could stay. The terrain is tough and arduous. But the militants visiting the area, according to intelligence sources, are goodmountaineers and are armed with maps giving out location of the villages with hospitable Gujjar Muslim families.

The communication network in the area is also in complete disarray. Telephones do not work for days together in Chamba town, the district headquarters, not to talk of the interior areas of Salooni, Kihar, Tissa, Sundla and Bairagarh. The STD link with Chamba was down on the day of the killings.

Reliable sources said that the State Government had decided to mount a dual attack on the militants. Besides, the ITBP and armed police personnel, the locals villagers are also being prepared to fight them.