Srinagar– In a move aimed at hot pursuit of militants in the forest areas of Kashmir Valley, the government of India has given nod to deployment of elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) commandos in rural areas of Kashmir Valley.
CoBRA also known as ‘jungle warriors’, is a specialized force which was raised by the government of India for guerilla and jungle warfare type operations to deal with Maoists.
A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer told Kashmir Observer that the 205 CoBRA battalion, currently stationed in Bihar where Naxal activities have been low, is being prepared for counter-terrorism operations in Kashmir region.
He further said the commandos, who arrived here a few months ago, went through the training in different centres and are ready to be deployed in the north and southern part of Kashmir.
“Since Naxalism is shrinking, the CoBRA commandos have been shifted to the Valley to assist the existing counter-insurgency grid,” said the official.
He further said that the commandos have been made familiar with the basic (Kashmiri) dialect so that they can understand the local language.
“They will assist the counter-insurgency grid in carrying out anti-terror operations,” he added.
According to the reports, the commandos will also be deployed in Srinagar city with the Valley Quick Action Team (QAT). However, an official from the Srinagar sector of CRPF told Kashmir Observer that the unit will be operating in the rural areas of Kashmir as of now.
The official said that the personnel for CoBRA are selected from CRPF as CoBRA is an integral part of CRPF and undergoes rigorous commando and jungle warfare training before being posted for anti naxal operations.
Between 2008-2011, 10 CoBRA units were raised by the government to take on naxalites. After being fully trained and equipped, the commandos were deployed in all insurgent affected areas of Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya.
CoBRA is one of the best Central Armed Police in the country trained to survive, fight and win in the jungle.
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