Bandipora encounter is a huge setback for LeT in North Kashmir: J&K DGP
190 terrorists have been killed in the hinterland of the Kashmir Valley, which has led to a remarkable change in situation, the Indian Army said.
The Indian army yesterday carried out an operation to eliminate 6 terrorists affiliated to the Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Six Pakistani militants of the LeT, including the nephew of Mumbai attack mastermind Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, were gunned down in north Kashmir's Bandipora district.
Apart from Lakhvi's nephew, two LeT commanders were also among the militants killed by the security forces, Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police (DGP), SP Vaid, said.
Security forces launched a search operation in Chandergeer village in Hajin area of the district after receiving specific intelligence input about the presence of militants in the area, a police official said.
The search operation resulted in an encounter when the militants hiding there fired on the search party of the security forces, who retaliated.
Vaid said the Hajin area in Bandipora had been infested with militant activities and unrest for a while now, and that it will be a relief for the locals now that operatives from the high command of the LeT had been eliminated.
The CRPF said that local youngsters who had been drawn into militancy can call the CRPF helpline 14411, to call for help from the forces to re-integrate into society, after having given up terrorism. The CRPF made it clear that this would be applicable only for local Kashmiri youth.
15 Corps Commander Lt Gen JS Sandhu said that there is no reason to fear the presence of the Islamic State in Kashmir, in the wake of the global terror organisation claiming responsibility for a blast in Srinagar on November 17th. Sandhu said there is no reason to draw conclusions before any investigation has happened.
Sandhu also said the army had launched several operations in Hajin from mid-September and were practically launching search ops on a daily basis and had inducted special forces into the area.
Sandhu added, "What we find this year is that we have killed approximately 125-130 terrorists in the hinterland of Kashmir Valley. This has resulted in a remarkable change in situation".
Sandhu added that locals needed to realise whether they were proxies of Pakistan, in the wake of recent statements made by the Pakistan Prime Minister. Sandhu said if they were acting as Pakistan's proxies, locals would also meet the fate that other terrorists have met recently.
Sandhu reiterated that the army would receive locals honourably, once they had given up militancy.