Throwing his weight behind Operation All-Out, Jammu & Kashmir Director-General of Police S. P. Vaid has said the anti-militancy operation will “continue till peace prevails in Kashmir”.
“It was started to ensure that Kashmir is freed from violence and peace prevails,” the DGP said during a recent function in Srinagar.
Mr. Vaid’s statement comes in the backdrop of the deaths of 224 people, including 135 militants and 44 civilians, in the ongoing operation in Kashmir so far. Operation All-Out was launched in March this year.
Gunfight in Shopian
This past Sunday, three militants, including a Hizbul Mujahideen operational commander, and two soldiers were killed in a 16-hour gunfight in Shopian. Three civilians were also killed.
Replying to a question, Mr. Vaid claimed that former Hizbul Mujahideen commander Zakir Musa was influenced by the Al-Qaeda thought and said, “This thought is inimical to Kashmir’s culture.”
According to police data, there is 100% jump in militancy casualties this year so far, the highest in the past decade.
Top leaders killed
Among those killed are top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen ‘commanders’, including Abu Dujana, Sabzar Bhat, Junaid Mattoo, Bashir Lashkari
Muhammad Yasin Itoo alias Mehmood Ghaznawi, Irfan-ul-Haq and Umar Majeed Mir. All these commanders were trapped in south Kashmir, which is emerging as a major battleground for security agencies.
Over 150 militants continue to remain active in the region, said a police source.
30 militants killed
According to figures available, June witnessed 48 deaths, including those of 30 militants and 15 security forces.
In 2016, 133 deaths were recorded till August end.
Most of those killed were civilians due to widespread protests in the aftermath of the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani in an encounter in July.
Similarly, figures suggest that militancy-related incidents went up from 155 in 2016 to 190 so far this year.
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