A CRPF personnel stands guard at a snow-covered stretch during fresh snowfall, in Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. File Picture
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has established 43 temporary operating bases in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), at altitudes between 3,000 feet and 6,000 feet, after the Pahalgam terror attack last April, a CRPF official said on Wednesday (February 18, 2026).
The official added that this was part of a new strategy to identify and flush out terrorists who, instead of operating from the floor of the Kashmir Valley, have relocated to the upper reaches to keep militancy active at over 6,000 feet.
According to intelligence estimates, there are around 40 foreign terrorists active in the Jammu region, while 60 foreign terrorists are active in the Valley. Two local terrorists have also been identified.
On April 22, 2025, three Pakistani terrorists killed 26 people, all tourists except one, at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam. The terrorists were later killed by security forces on July 28, the same year, in the upper reaches of the Kashmir Valley, in Operation Mahadev.
Search and assault ops
Explaining the significance of the temporary bases, a CRPF official said that on July 25 last year, a long, intelligence-based operation was launched by the CRPF from a recently established base at Faqir Gujri, in the general area of Mahadev Hill and its upper ridges in Harwan and Srinagar.
The official added that the bases are used to house a team of 15 to 20 CRPF personnel who launch search and assault operations in the heights where terrorists are suspected to be moving or taking shelter.
The official added that 26 such bases have been established in the Kashmir Valley, along with another 17 in the Jammu region.
Special equipment
Officials said a considerable number of bases were established on the Pahalgam-Tral-Harwan axis immediately after the April 2025 terrorist attack. CRPF has procured some special equipment for these temporary operating bases like tactical boots, winter jackets, sleeping bags, and satellite phones.
The official added that 2,937 Long Duration Operations — 879 in the Jammu region and 2,058 in the Kashmir Valley — were conducted to dominate the higher and mid ranges, from 3,300 to 8,900 ft.
Published – February 18, 2026 08:05 pm IST
