JAMMU : The year 2015 saw targeting of the anti-national elements including the top commanders of various outfits like Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jamaat-ul-Dawa which led to elimination of 111 militants during the year across the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Militants remained on radar throughout the year and as compared to the last year, the figure of militants eliminated was more. The killing of militants this year also included wanted Lashkar?s Abu Qasim who attacked the convoy of Army in 2013.
However, there was a decline in infiltration attempts from across the border on the Line of Control as security forces remained alert and foiled all the attempts. Army this year foiled 92 infiltration attempts despite, JuDs chief Hafeez Saeed’s campaigning across the border to boost up the trainees in the terrorist camps.
In the current year, 171 people including 111 militants, 20 civilians and 41 security personnel were killed, Col S D Goswami Northern Command based defence spokesperson here told UNI. Col Goswami said that in the last year, 193 people were killed which included 110 militants, 51 security personnel and 32 civilians, adding, in 2013, 264 incidents of infiltration attempts were recorded, in 2014, the figure declined to 221 but this year, there were 92 attempts made by the militants in the region in which 37 militants were eliminated.
The Army also lost two top ranked Army officers Colonel M N Rai and Colonel Santosh Mahadik ? this year in gunfights with militants.
Colonel Rai laid down his life while combating militants in the Tral area of Pulwama district on January 28 while Colonel Mahadik was killed while fighting militants in Kupwara district on November 17.
Meanwhile, promoting terrorist activities through social media and rise in waving of ISIS flags in the Valley also remained matter of concern for the security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir. However, apart from this, arrest of Lashkar militant Mohammad Naveed during an attack on the BSF convoy on August 5 this year in Udhampur was one of the major achievements for the security forces.
Despite a spike in the terror activities this year, a comparative study of statistics on terrorism this year so far and for the corresponding period of 2014 indicates a near similarity. As per the official statistics on infiltration in the last seven years, 65 insurgents infiltrated in 2014, 97 in 2013, 121 in 2012, 52 in 2011, 82 in 2010, 99 in 2009 and 27 in 2008. On November 19, 2015, General Officer Commanding Lt Gen RR Nimbhorkar, 16 Corps had tentatively put the figure of militants at 600 to 700 in 35 to 37 terror camps functional in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.
On the ceasefire violations, 677 cases of cross-border firing by Pakistan were reported from May 2014 to October 2015 and the number of casualties of civilians during the period were 27. During this period, three BSF jawans died and 19 were injured in cross-border firing.
However, statistics from January 1 to December 31, 2014, show a total of 28 civilians, 47 security forces personnel and 110 militants were killed in 222 violence-related incidents, highest in the last three years, in the militancy-hit state. (UNI)
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