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Two Top militants killed in Kashmir, Militant violence Unabated
By
IOL South Asia Correspondent
New
Delhi, July 12 (IslamOnline) - Three militants, including a
"district chief" of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and two army
personnel, were killed in separate encounters in north Kashmir,
official sources said Thursday, July 11.
The
JeM commander, Bilal Ahmad, said to be a resident of the
Pakistan-administered Kashmir, was killed in an encounter with the
army at village Khumboori in Handwara area of Kupwara district
Wednesday night.
Ahmad
is alleged to have been one of the planners of the December 13 attack
on the Indian Parliament last year. Two soldiers were also injured in
the incident.
In
another incident, security forces gunned down two militants in Rather
Mohalla of Sogam in Kupwara early Thursday. Two army personnel were
killed and another two injured in the encounter, official sources
said.
Another
top ranking militant, allegedly belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT)
was killed in an encounter in Poonch district of Jammu today.
The
slain militant, said to be district commander of LeT, has been
identified as Sarfraz Rathore alias Aziz of Bagh area in
Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
According
to reports, one soldier lost his life in the encounter. The exchange
of fire between ultras and security forces was continuing when reports
last came in this evening.
In
another incident in the west-central district of Poonch, a soldier and
a militant were killed in a battle early Thursday, police said.
According
to official figures released by the police in Srinagar Thursday, the
level of militant violence in the state has remained unabated during
the first six months of this year.
According
to these figures, 1869 incidents of militant violence took place
during the first six months of the current year as against 2111
incidents during the corresponding period last year.
In
the month of June alone, 306 incidents were reported as compared to
372 incidents of militancy that took place during the month of June
last year.
"Common
people became the victim of militant violence which included hurling
of hand grenades (93), triggering of explosions (113), rocket attacks
(16), abductions (170), random firing (381), arms snatching (16),
arson (155), and hanging (6).
These
violent incidents took away the lives of 488 innocent civilians and
caused grievous injuries to 664 others this year as against killing of
501 civilians and injury to 1101 civilians during the corresponding
period last year," the spokesman said.
"But
what is mind-boggling and unimaginable," the spokesman said,
"is the quantum of arms and ammunition recovered so far from
militants.
The
spokesman further claimed that militants now target "soft
targets." As a result, violent incidents directed against
police/security forces have decreased to little less than half.
During
the first six months of the current year, militants resorted to 379
violent incidents that were directed solely against police/security
forces as against 604 incidents reported during the corresponding
period last year.
According
to the spokesman there is three-fold increase in the surrender of
militants. In view of the continued anti-militancy operations, 95
militants have surrendered to the authorities during the current
year’s first six months.
Only
thirty surrendered during the corresponding period last year. State
police/security forces have killed 870 militants and arrested 353
militants during the first six months of the current year as against
757 militants killed and 240 arrested during the corresponding period
last year.
"Since
the start of the militancy till ending June this year, police/security
forces have eliminated 15226 local and foreign militants. 3262 of the
militants have surrendered during this period," the spokesman
added as reported by Greater Kashmir newspaper today.
In
a related development, the secessionist conglomerate, Hurriyat
Conference, has issued a call for a general strike in Jammu and
Kashmir on July 13 in memory of the martyrs of 1931.
A
Hurriyat statement said "all business establishments, shops,
schools and offices will remain closed. The transport shall remain off
the roads completely."
"Hurriyat
conference as per tradition will pay tribute to all the martyrs from
July 13, 1931 till date who laid their lives for the freedom
struggle," the statement said. The 1931 martyrs belong to the
first uprising by the Kashmiri Muslims against the Dogra dynasty. The
Hurriyat said the strike on July 13 assumes significance due to
continued detention of its leaders like Yasin Malik and Syed Ali
Geelani.
The
trend of arresting top secessionist leaders under one pretext or
another has not stopped.
Only
yesterday, July 10, Muzaffar Jan, a senior Jamaat-e-Islami leader was
arrested by security forces from his office in central Srinagar.
A
day earlier, censuring the state and the central governments for
deliberately denying Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman
Yasin Malik adequate medical facilities, acting chairman of the Front
Javed Mir charged them with resorting to vindictiveness by maliciously
conspiring to physically and politically eliminate him.
JKLF
chairman was arrested on March 25 this year by the state police by
invoking the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA). Mir alleged
that the state government, in connivance with the central government,
was resorting to such tactics despite knowing that Malik was ailing,
with the single aim to suppress the political movement of JKLF.
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