The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has established 43 temporary operating bases (TOBs) in Jammu and Kashmir, a direct response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam last April. The bases, positioned at elevations of 6,000 feet and above, are intended to track and eliminate terrorists operating in the higher reaches of the region, security officials confirmed Wednesday.
Twenty-six of the TOBs are located in the Kashmir division, with the remaining 17 situated in the Jammu division. Each base is staffed with between 16 and 25 CRPF personnel, alongside a slight contingent of Jammu and Kashmir Police officers. These bases operate on a temporary basis, with troops deploying for a few days at a time to conduct search and assault operations.
The establishment of these bases follows a similar deployment initiated in April 2025 along the Pahalgam-Tral-Harwan axis, immediately following the initial Pahalgam attack. Security forces utilized one of these early bases to locate the hideout of the three Pakistani terrorists responsible for the attack, ultimately leading to their elimination during Operation Mahadev in July 2025, according to officials.
Prior to the Pahalgam attack, the terrorists had taken refuge in a dhok – a traditional mud and stone hut – near the Baisaran tourist site, where they fatally shot 25 tourists. The subsequent search for the perpetrators involved months of scouring the surrounding forests. The current deployment aims to prevent similar incidents by proactively targeting terrorist hideouts.
CRPF has procured specialized equipment to support operations in the challenging terrain, including tactical boots, winter jackets, sleeping bags and satellite phones. Intelligence suggests that approximately two local terrorists and around 100 foreign terrorists are currently active in Jammu and Kashmir, according to data cited by security officials.
The first temporary base established after Operation Mahadev was located along the Pahalgam–Tral–Harwan–Dachigam axis, according to reports. The TOBs are designed to counter terrorists who utilize dhoks as temporary shelters whereas awaiting instructions from handlers based in Pakistan.