The number of “hybrid” or part-time terrorists has been increasing in the Kashmir valley in recent months, intelligence agencies say. Hybrid terrorists can be defined as unlisted radicalised persons who carry out terror strikes and slip back into their routine life often without leaving any trace.
According to security agencies, these terrorists are not ultras. They though are radicalised by anti-India forces enough so that they are willing to carry out a terror strike.
The term “hybrid terror” likely first emerged after suspected militants believed to be affiliated with The Resistance Front (TRF) killed two non-Muslim teachers at a government school in Srinagar on October 7.
Security agencies define these terrorists as “boys next door” who are kept on standby mode by terror groups. In between two tasks, these hybrid terrorists live their normal lives. As they live among the general population, it is hard for security agencies to track and trace them.
Officials recently told news agency PTI that the new trend was happening in the valley under the directions of Pakistan and its spy agency, the ISI.
“The desperate nexus is modifying methods. Their desperation is showing. Now, it is the preference for pistol-based targeting of soft targets. Targets which are unarmed and unlikely to retaliate like businessmen [including from the minority community], activists, political leaders without protection and off-duty policemen,” they said.
Sources told News18 recently that the jihadi groups are also not deterred by security forces eliminating these hybrid terrorists. Since it is difficult to prove the association of these hybrid terrorists with specific terror groups, eliminating them leads to more locals taking up guns, creating more bodies for terrorist ranks.
Apart from their targets, intelligence agencies have also noticed a change in weapons being used by these terrorists. Sources said that hybrid terrorists targeting civilians have started using sticky bombs and carrying smaller weapons.
“Instead of moving with an AK-47, they think it better to keep one small pistol in the pocket as it is easy to carry,” an intelligence source said. The quality of the pistol has also improved from Chinese fibre to a more sophisticated make.
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