New Delhi: The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has established 43 temporary operating bases in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir following the Pahalgam terror attack to track and eliminate militants hiding in mountainous terrain, security officials said on Wednesday.
These bases, located above 6,000 feet, serve as short-term camps for CRPF troops to launch search-and-assault operations against terrorists sheltering in high-altitude ‘dhoks’ (mud-and-stone huts). The first such base was created in July 2025, and the total has since reached 43—26 in the Kashmir region and 17 in the Jammu area.
Each base typically houses 16–25 CRPF personnel along with some local police staff. Officials said several bases were set up along the Pahalgam–Tral–Harwan axis immediately after the April 2025 attack in Baisaran meadows.
Security forces used one of these bases in July 2025 to eliminate the three terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam attack under ‘Operation Mahadev’, which began on May 22 as part of a plan drawn up a day after the April 22 strike that killed 26 tourists in Baisaran valley.
The CRPF has also procured specialised gear for these bases, including tactical boots, winter jackets, sleeping bags and satellite phones. Officials estimate about two local and around 100 foreign terrorists are currently active in the Union Territory. (Agencies)
