The number of active militants in Kashmir Valley has come down to less than 200 for the first time since the insurgency erupted in Kashmir in 1990, Jammu and Kashmir police said on Thursday.
“It is also for the first time that the number of local active militants is 86 only,” Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar told reporters while addressing a joint presser with General officer Commanding (GoC) of Srinagar-based 15 Corps Lieutenant General D P Pandey, in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district.
He said in 2021, out of 128 locals who joined militancy, 73 were killed and 17 arrested. “Now only 39 locals who joined militancy in 2021 are active,” the IGP said.
On Wednesday, Kumar had said that 165 ultras, including 75 foreigners, were active in Kashmir. Six militants, including two foreigners, were killed, on Thursday evening in south Kashmir bringing down the number of active militants to 159, including 73 foreigners.
GoC Pandey said recruitment of locals into militancy came down this year as only 128 to 130 joined terror ranks compared to 180 last year.
This year in 87 encounters, 168 militants have been killed by the security forces in Kashmir. Among them, 19 were foreigners, while 149 were locals. Last year, over 200 militants were killed in Kashmir.
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