Security forces Monday gunned down three suspected Hizbul Mujahideen militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district, ending an encounter that began on Sunday afternoon when the militants started firing from a forested area, security officials in the state said on condition of anonymity.

This is the third terrorist attack this year, after 87 security personnel were killed in various terror attacks in 2016.

A common thread across Pathankot, Uri, Nagrota, Akhnoor and Anantnag is the heavy foliage and low lighting. Security forces also do not have any equipment or technology to thwart such attacks.

While there is no fool-proof method to curb tunnel digging—the method reportedly used in the Nagrota attack—low lighting was a major cause for concern among the forces.

“Most of these areas are very far-flung and remote and proper lighting is a big issue. In the winter, the overhead lines tend to snap because of the burden of snow and underground lines are short-circuited because the snow water seeps in," said a BSF official, requesting anonymity.

“Unlike electricity supply in the metros, state electricity supply is also a major issue because sometimes there is sporadic electricity supply in remote areas," the BSF official added.

Security forces have to guard against committing human rights violations as well.

“We have to be extremely cautious when such encounters happen. If you look at these areas, the forestry and the foliage is so dense that even if there is heavy security patrol, militants can sneak in," an official of the Indian Army’s Northern Command said on condition of anonymity.

“Our job is to stop them when they strike. They are trained to kill and maim and that is what they do, but we are trained to protect and reduce damage on our side as well," the Indian Army official said.

“We are continuously in talks with security forces who are guarding the border areas with Pakistan and are working out strategies that will keep infiltrators at bay. It cannot happen overnight and we are steadily working on it," home minister Rajnath Singh said in Delhi earlier this month.

The home ministry is also working on border fencing to keep out infiltrators along the India-Bangladesh border.

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