Steep rise in Kashmir militancy
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR, Oct 29 — There has been a steep rise in Kashmir militancy after Operation Vijay in Kargil. The Army in its "renewed offensive" claims to have killed 368 militants during the past three months and prevented 30 infiltration attempts.

A defence spokesman said here the Pakistani army and the ISI "intensified their efforts in the past two months to raise the level of proxy war and divert the attention of the population from the bitter criticism and scathing attacks being launched at home". He said the past three months had seen "desperate attempts" by the militants to raise the level of violence not only in Jammu and Kashmir but also in other parts of the country to gain media publicity. "There were numerous intelligence inputs in the past two months to suggest ISI plans to foment trouble, particularly during the election the election period", the spokesman added.

The Army in its renewed offensive has raised 14 Corps HQ at Leh, thereby facilitating the Srinagar-based GOC 15 Corps to focus his attention towards border management and "effective counter-insurgency operations in the valley", the spokesman stated. The 14 Corps HQ would be in addition to the two other Corps headquarters — 15 Corps in Srinagar and 16 Corps in Jammu. During the Kargil operation, the responsibility of counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir and Jammu regions had been vested with the Director-General of Rashtriya Rifle. The two Corps have now been restored the powers of launching counter-insurgency operations in the two regions and the two Corps Commanders are now back as Security Advisers to the state Chief Minister.

To fill the void of a control headquarters in the valley, a new force headquarters i.e. counter-insurgency force "KILO" has been raised to primarily look after north Kashmir while another force "Romeo" is under raising at Rajouri in Jammu division under 16 Corps headquarters, the defence spokesman disclosed.

Giving strategic post-Operation Vijay details, the spokesman said additional Army battalions had been deployed on anti-infiltration tasks to effectively prevent the militants from sneaking inside. "Besides, additional battalions have also been deployed in the hinterland to strike at militant hideouts and flush them out from forested areas and higher reaches", the spokesman stated. He added that this was done as part of the efforts to checkmate the designs of Pakistan to counter the rise in militancy to re-establish moral ascendancy.

Giving details of the Army’s successes during the past three months, the spokesman said out of the 368 militants killed the majority of them were foreigners. At least 64 others were apprehended and 490 weapons seized. The Army has also foiled 30 attempts at infiltration between August 1 and October 27.

At least 96 militants were killed and 164 weapons seized in October so far. The Army also launched two major operations — Kaziranaga in the forested areas of Rajwar in Kupwara district and Shakti along the higher reaches of Pir Panjal ranges in the Gulabgarh area of Udhampur district with the aim of flushing out the militants from the higher reaches and forcing them to come to lower areas and to destroy their logistics to make their survival in winter difficult. During these operations 53 hideouts of militants were raided, 12 militants killed and 32 weapons and a huge cache of ammunition seized.

In Poonch district where major anti-militant operations were carried out this month at Hari Budha, Ishawali, Lasana Gali and Silaunilyan 28 militants were killed and 35 weapons seized. In Srinagar 12 hard-core militants were killed in two operations at Larmarg on October 14 and 23.

Eight militants killed in valley

SRINAGAR, Oct 29 (UNI) — At least eight militants, including two foreign mercenaries, were killed and a huge quantity of arms and ammunition recovered by security forces during two separate anti-militancy operations in Kashmir valley during the past 48 hours, an official spokesman said here today.

A special police officer (SPO) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police was also killed and two SPOs and two BSF personnel were injured.

In the first operation at Kangan, Pulwama, a search party comprising of SPOs and BSF personnel, was fired upon by militants from inside a house. One SPO and two BSF personnel were injured. The SPO later succumbed to injuries.

Four bodies of militants were found at the spot. These included those of Abdul Rashid Dar Alias Zum Zum, company commander of the Outlawed Hizbul Mujahideen, and a foreign mercenary Abu Valeed. The police also recovered three AK rifles, one pistol and one grenade launcher.

In another operation SPOs, assisted by CRPF and BSF personnel, raided a militant hide-out at Shankarpura Machua, Badgam. The security personnel came under heavy fire from inside a house. In the exchange of fire four militants including a foreign mercenary of the Lashkar-e-toiba were killed.

Four AK rifles, a grenade launcher, two wireless sets and a large quantity of assorted ammunition were recovered from the spot.

SRINAGAR: An official spokesman said militants hurled a hand grenade towards a security force vehicle near Achabal Bus stand in south Kashmir last evening. However, the grenade missed the intended target and exploded on the roadside causing injuries to 12 persons, the injured were admitted to hospital where the condition of four of them is stated to be very critical.

Militants fired rockets towards a police post at Chaudhary-Nar late last night. However, the rockets exploded without causing any damage.

The spokesman said about 12 security personnel had a narrow escape when a land mine planted by militants exploded seconds after their vehicle crossed Sheeri in Baramula around 11 am today.

He said security forces killed one militant during a search operation at Kashtigarh last evening. One AK rifle and one wireless set were recovered from the slain militant, believed to be a foreigner.

He said militants shot dead Mohammad Hussain Bhat at Bandipora while body of Riyaz Ahmad Sheikh, who was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen on October 27, was recovered from Khushipora in Anantnag last night.

JAMMU: Three foreign mercenaries and an Army jawan were among five people killed in militancy-related incidents in Banihal and Bharam Gala areas of Doda and Poonch districts of Jammu region since last evening, official sources said here today.

Two Lashker-e-Toiba militants were killed and three Army jawans injured in an encounter in the Tantipora forest area of Banihal in Doda district yesterday, the sources said.

One of the jawans succumbed to his injuries on way to hospital, they said, adding one Ghulam Rasool of Tantipora was killed in the crossfire.

The mercenaries were identified as Abdul Rehman of Gujranwala in Pakistan and Abu Tib of Afghanistan. Both belonged to Markez-e-Toiba, a wing of the Lashker-e-Toiba.

Six other mercenaries escaped from the scene.

Later, two AK assault rifles, 50 rounds, a tape recorder, night vision device, a rocket launcher and two rockets were recovered.

One militant was killed in an encounter with Rashtriya Rifles troops in the Bahram Ki Gali area of Poonch district yesterday.

An AK assault rifle, two magazines and 130 rounds were recovered from the encounter scene.