{"id":195721,"date":"2026-02-26T08:53:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T03:53:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/?p=195721"},"modified":"2026-02-26T10:02:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T05:02:31","slug":"india-launches-snow-leopard-unit-belies-modi-regimes-normalcy-mantra-in-iiojk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/2026\/02\/26\/india-launches-snow-leopard-unit-belies-modi-regimes-normalcy-mantra-in-iiojk.html","title":{"rendered":"India launches &#8216;Snow Leopard&#8217; unit, belies Modi regime&#8217;s normalcy mantra in IIOJK"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-195725\" src=\"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/assests\/2026\/02\/4-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"365\" height=\"206\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Srinagar: In another move to escalate militarisation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, India has launched a newly formed elite high-altitude combat unit named \u201cSnow Leopard\u201d, aimed at conducting operations in snow-bound and mountainous areas of the territory.<\/p>\n<p>According to Kashmir Media Service, Indian police unveiled the specialised squad, comprising over 100 personnel, to operate in extreme weather and rugged terrain. The move comes amid New Delhi\u2019s repeated claims of \u201cnormalcy\u201d in the occupied territory, which observers say stand contradicted by the continued expansion of combat formations.<\/p>\n<p>Official details reveal that the squad has been deployed for the first time during the ongoing Khelo India Winter Games in Gulmarg.<\/p>\n<p>The Snow Leopard squad primarily consists of personnel drawn from the Special Operations Group (SOG). It functions as a dedicated wing for snow and mountain warfare, trained to operate in sub-zero temperatures reaching minus 20 degrees Celsius, low-oxygen environments, dense forests and avalanche-prone areas.<\/p>\n<p>Officials said the squad underwent more than six months of specialised training alongside Indian Army Para Commandos and Greyhounds Special Forces to enhance combat readiness and coordination.<\/p>\n<p>Observers maintain that the creation of such combat units belies the Modi regime\u2019s repeated assertions that peace and stability have returned to the territory following the revocation of its special status in August 2019. Instead, they say, the move signals sustained military expansion and institutional preparedness for prolonged conflict in the territory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Srinagar: In another move to escalate militarisation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, India has launched a newly formed elite high-altitude combat unit named \u201cSnow Leopard\u201d, aimed at conducting operations in snow-bound and mountainous areas of the territory. According to Kashmir Media Service, Indian police unveiled the specialised squad, comprising over 100 personnel, to &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":195725,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-195721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indian-occupied-jammu-and-kashmir"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>India launches &#039;Snow Leopard&#039; unit, belies Modi regime&#039;s normalcy mantra in IIOJK &#062; Kashmir Media Service<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/2026\/02\/26\/india-launches-snow-leopard-unit-belies-modi-regimes-normalcy-mantra-in-iiojk.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"India launches &#039;Snow Leopard&#039; unit, belies Modi regime&#039;s normalcy mantra in IIOJK &#062; Kashmir Media Service\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Srinagar: In another move to escalate militarisation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, India has launched a newly formed elite high-altitude combat unit named \u201cSnow Leopard\u201d, aimed at conducting operations in snow-bound and mountainous areas of the territory. 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