Srinagar, Sep 9 (IANS) Joint forces on Wednesday busted a terror module in Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) Kupwara district operated by an ex-terrorist in hybrid mode acting for the banned terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen.
Officials said that Jammu and Kashmir Police, along with 21 RR and 92 Bn CRPF, busted a terror module allegedly operated by an ex-terrorist in hybrid mode for the banned Hizbul Mujahideen outfit in the Handwara-Kupwara area.
“One accused, Manzoor Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Kruhmura Handwara, has been apprehended. Police recovered a Chinese-made pistol, two magazines, and 16 rounds of ammunition from his possession.
“The accused had previously been arrested in two cases. A case under FIR No. 232 has been registered at Police Station Handwara, and further investigation is underway to uncover the module’s wider network and activities.”
A hybrid militant is an unlisted individual who leads a normal civilian life, carries out a specific targeted attack, and then returns to their regular routine without appearing on official police or security records.
Hybrid militant is a term widely used by the Intelligence agencies in J&K to describe a shifting trend in modern terrorism.
The hybrid militant works on a regular job, or attends schools and colleges or remains at home till assigned an objective by terrorist groups.
Because they are not formally documented as active terrorists or insurgents, they do not trigger standard surveillance lists.
Terror handlers often recruit and radicalise these individuals via digital platforms and social media rather than traditional physical networks.
They are typically provided with concealable, easy-to-use weapons like pistols or hand grenades, to execute specific unarmed civilians, minorities, or off-duty personnel, before blending back into the local population.
Their lack of a traceable militant footprint makes them exceptionally difficult for security and Intelligence agencies to track pre-emptively.
Unlike older generations of terrorists, who openly announced their affiliation or engaged in visible armed confrontations, hybrid operatives intentionally maintain a low profile to evade detection.
–IANS
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