SOURCE: ET
Reversing setbacks in Kashmir, security forces have killed 93 terrorists in a string of successful operations this year as they scaled up joint operations and the army stepped up its anti-infiltration grid along the Line of Control (LoC).
In a span of 24 hours, two joint operations were carried out in Shopian that resulted in nine terrorists being killed, without any casualty suffered by security forces. Officials said “robust deployment along the LoC, proactive intelligence and synergised operations” led to the success, although intelligence reports indicate that terrorist training camps and launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) remain fully active.
Official data reveals that out of the 93 terrorists killed this year, 35 belonged to the Hizbul Mujahidin, indicating that it is currently the most active group in Kashmir. Ten Pakistani terrorists have been eliminated this year, with the rest being local recruits.
Officials said there is clear intelligence that a large number of Pakistani terrorists are present in the valley, but these terrorists have been avoiding any exposure to security forces to avoid international glare and the pressure of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Pakistan.
The army has also been picking up an upswing in ceasefire violations and infiltration attempts along the LoC as terrorists are being pushed into Kashmir to scale up violence in the first summer since the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was revoked.
Two operations in particular helped in blunting efforts to incite violence in the valley, said people aware of the matter. The first was the elimination of Pakistani terrorist ‘Haider’ in northern Kashmir by 22 Rashtriya Rifles on May 2 and the second was the operation in which Pakistani citizen ‘Fauji Bhai’ was killed on June 3 by 55 Rashtriya Rifles at Pulwama.
“Both foreign terrorists had been sent with specific instructions to motivate and incite high-profile attacks on security forces by local recruits.
Their quick elimination has been a blow to designs to escalate violence in the valley,” a security forces official told ET on condition of anonymity.
While security forces have taken an upper hand, the cycle of violence is expected to continue with a spike in the number of active terrorists operating in the Kashmir valley. Though estimates vary, some believe that the number of active terrorists has doubled, with sustained efforts by Pakistan to infiltrate trained terrorists using all channels available.
The detection of the vehicle borne improvised explosive device in Pulwama on May 27 is being seen as an example of efforts to scale up violence and to conduct a high casualty operation against security forces in the valley.
https://defencenewsofindia.com/ten-pakistanis-among-93-terrorists-killed-in-2020/
