Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, June 24: Army today said that around 220 militants including 100 locals are active in Kashmir valley. They said that they have strong intelligence network and militants who succeed in infiltrating are killed in forests itself.
Commander 8-Sector of Rashtriya Rifles, Brigadier Rajeev Puri, today while briefing about the Army’s successful operations in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district said: “About 200 to 220 militants are active in Kashmir valley. Among them, about 100 are local militants and rest are foreigners.”
Brigadier Puri said the number of militants in South and North Kashmir varied as they do not have boundaries. “It is not worth whether they (militants) are more in North or South Kashmir. They don’t have boundaries and thus keep shifting,” he said.
Giving credit to human intelligence for successful anti-militancy operations, the sector commander of the Army said “our human intelligence is very strong”. “If they succeed in level one, we get them at level two and eliminate them,” he said.
Brigadier Puri said that militants use new technologies and Army counters it. He played down the use of new app “Calculator” by militants to keep in touch with their handlers in Pakistan occupied Kashmir without being detected by Army’s technical surveillance. “Earlier, they were using radio sets and we used to intercept it. They come out with a new thing and we counter it. Such a thing keep happening between the security forces and the terrorists,” he said.
Giving details of the two successful operations in which six militants were killed in Kupwara district yesterday, the Army officer said all the six were affiliated with Pakistan-based LeT outfit.
“The first operation started at Khailia Doban in the North of Lolab valley around 9 AM and resulted in the death of three Pakistani militants of LeT group. The operation ended at 1.30 PM and a huge cache of arms, explosives including three AK 47 rifles, radio sets, maps, compass and Ground Positioning System (GPS) were recovered,” he said adding in addition a large quantity of medicines and eatables, carrying the Pakistan made mark, were recovered from the slain militants.
“Soon after the first operation was over, a second operation took place in Drugmulla’s Waterkhai area and again three more LeT militants were killed. A huge cache of arms and explosives were recovered from the possession of the deceased militants”, said Brigadier Puri adding the seizure included three AK 47 rifles, Under Barrel Grenade Launchers, grenades, radio sets, night vision devices and a Compass.
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