J&K Police’s Mission 2022: To bring down number of active militants below 100

So far, this year, 64 militants have been killed

As security forces have stepped up anti-terror operations, Jammu and Kashmir police have set a target to bring down the number of active militants to below 100 by year.

The killing of 64 militants in the first four months of this year has already brought down the number of operational militants in Kashmir down to 150. In April, 23 militants were killed in 14 encounters across J&K while 13 were neutralized in March, seven in February and 21 in January.

For the first time in the last over three decades of militancy in Kashmir, the number of active militants had come down to less than 200 by the end of 2021. However, according to police figures, targeted killings by the militants have also claimed the lives of two dozen civilians in Kashmir since October 2021.

Inspector General of police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said they have set a target to bring down the number of terrorists in the Valley down to double digits by the end of this year. “This would require constant, high-speed operations and local support,” he said.

Kumar said local logistical support for terrorists was on decline which has affected their operations in the Valley. “This happened because we took both punitive and preventive action against people who supported terrorists,” he said.

Among 64 militants killed this year 20 were foreigners and 44 locals. Among the slain militants, 39 were affiliated with Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Taiba, 17 with Jaish-e-Mohammad, six with indigenous Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and two with Al-Badr outfit.

Of 39 encounters in the first four months of this year, 25 were reported in south Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama. “South Kashmir is still hotbed of terrorism, despite rise in terror activities in Srinagar city in the last two years. It is hybrid militancy which is a challenge now for the security agencies to deal with,” he revealed.

According to police, ’hybrid’ militants are not listed ultras, but radicalized and trained enough to carry out terror attacks and then slip back into the routine life. As most of them are teenagers and highly motivated, they do not cross the border for arms training nor do they go underground to commit violent acts.

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