Jammu, December 4
Terrorists have struck with vengeance against security forces in Jammu and Kashmir during the past one year and in their ambushes and armed attacks as many as 140 security personnel were killed and over 210 were wounded in various parts of the state.
It was an year of the militants, especially belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba militant outfit. Out of 41 incidents of terrorists storming into the pickets and camps of the security forces, 34 armed attacks were carried out by suicide squads belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba, two by Jaish-e-Mohammad activists and the rest by the Jamaitul Mujahideen, Al-Umar and Al-Badr.
In several cases the security forces retaliated and, in all, 42 terrorists were killed and one of them was injured. This speaks volumes about the shooting skills the terrorists demonstrated while carrying out suicide attacks on the security forces.
As compared to the Army and the paramilitary forces, the police and men of the Special Operation Group (SOG) of the police suffered heavy casualties. Out of 140 casualties, as many as 60 policemen lost their lives in the suicide attacks and 68 policemen were wounded.
In the 41 suicide attacks, 53 civilians were also killed and several injured. The biggest strike in terms of deaths and injuries was registered on October 1 when the terrorists stormed the Assembly complex in Srinagar. In this incident, 11 men of the police and the paramilitary forces and 23 civilians were killed while 15 security personnel and 50 civilians were wounded.
Another major terrorist strike was witnessed near Ramban in which 10 Army men were killed, 29 wounded and three civilians also died. This incident took place on November 18, 2001. In two other strikes, one on December 27, 1999, at Haft Chinar in Srinagar, and another on September 12, 2000, in Beerwah in Budgam district, 22 security personnel were killed, 16 injured and one civilian also lost his life.
According to the government figures, one suicide attack was registered in 1999 and in 2000 there were 17 suicide attacks on the camps and pickets of security forces. This year till November-end there were over 22 suicide attacks indicating that the Pak-supported militants banked on suicide attacks to inflict heavy casualties on the security forces.
A senior police officer said it was not an easy task to stop suicide squads from storming into pickets or camps. “They come to die and nothing can stop them from committing suicide,” he said.
The officer said after the suicide attacks became a regular feature in the state police stations, headquarters and camps of security forces, including the residential areas of the police, the Army and paramilitary forces positions had been surrounded by eight-feet high concrete walls. In highly sensitive areas, these walls had been further fortified by barbed wire fence on top of the cement enclosure to prevent terrorists from marching into the camps.
The government survey has also revealed that in a majority of incidents relating to the suicide attacks, the suicide squads will storm into the Army and police pickets or camps in the Army or police uniforms. This caused confusion to the security personnel guarding the Army or police camps or headquarters.
The government reports reveal that terrorists have been using assault rifles, Pika guns, rockets and hand grenades in suicide attacks on the camps of security forces. In most of the cases, the terrorists were able to escape after carrying out gun or grenade attacks on the security pickets or camps. Out of 41 suicide attacks, arms and explosives were seized from the terrorists only in 31 cases. The haul included 25 AK rifles, 18 grenades and several hundred rounds of ammunition besides rockets and rocket launchers.
Srinagar has remained the main target of suicide attacks and out of 41 such attacks, Srinagar witnessed 13 strikes followed by Poonch and Kupwara with six incidents each.
VIDEO
People
in Kashmir swear by the predictions of Shah Namatullah
Qadri, better known as the Nostradamus of Kashmir.
