Srinagar, Dec 30: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar Thursday said that the number of active militants in the valley has come down to less than 200 while the number of active local militants is 86, a first in the past 30 years of militancy in Kashmir.
The IGP Kashmir, according to news agency KNO, made the remarks at a joint press conference with the Army’s GoC 15 Corps, D P Pandey at the 2 Sector RR headquarters in Wuzur area of Qazigund in Kulgam district after twin gunfights in Kulgam and Anantnag.
The gunfights which broke out on Wednesday evening ended this morning with the killing of six Jaish militants including two Pakistani nationals and an army soldier. Two soldiers and a cop were injured in the Anantnag gunfight and are said to be stable.
IGP Kashmir while replying to question, said that “rise in encounters doesn’t mean that militancy has increased, but the other way round”.
“For the first time in the past 30 years of militancy in Kashmir, the number of active militants has come down to less than 200. It is also for the first time that number of local active militants is 86 only,” IGP Kumar said.
On the occasion, GoC Pandey said that local militant recruitment has “drastically come down as this year only 128 to 130 locals joined militancy compared to 180 last year”.
As per IGP Kashmir, out of 128 local militants who joined militancy this year, 73 were killed while 17 were arrested.
Over a question on foreign militants getting killed in the encounters lately, GoC Pandey said that it was “because they are coming out of their hide-outs to carry out operations as locals militants are refusing to attack forces due to their own challenges”.
“As the foreigners would come out of their hide-outs, they will be killed,” the GoC said.
Speaking on the occasion, SSP Anantnag said that one M-4 carbine, eight magazines, two AK 47 riffles and other ammunition were recovered from the six slain JeM militants in the twin south Kashmir gunfights.