New Trend Of ‘Hybrid Militants’ In Kashmir: IGP
Srinagar: Army on Thursday said three heavily armed militants were killed and a huge cache of ammunition was recovered from them near the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
“An infiltration bid along the Line of Control was thwarted by Army troops in Rampur Sector, District Baramulla. Three (militants) were eliminated and large quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered from their possession,” army said, adding, “Own troops spotted some suspicious movement during the morning hours in the general area Hathlanga along the Line of Control. The infiltrators on being challenged opened fire and attempted to get away. During the ensuing firefight, all three (of them) were eliminated. The operation has been terminated.”
The army said the recovery includes five AKs, eight Pistols, 69 assorted grenades (including Chinese and Pakistani made ones), two IEDs, Indian currency worth Rs 35,000 and Pakistani currency worth Rs 3300.
Briefing the media at the Army’s Chinar Corps headquarters here, Lieutenant General D P Pandey, flanked by IGP Kahsmir Vijay Kumar, said there has been increased activity at the militant launchpads on the other side of the LoC recently.
“While there was no infiltration since the beginning of the year, there has been a lot of activity at the launchpads, which cannot happen without the knowledge of Pakistan Army commanders,” he said.
The army officer said this was evident from the infiltration bid that was eliminated on Thursday and the one foiled in the Uri sector on September 18-19.
Asked about the identity and nationality of the slain infiltrators, the Army officer said according to the documents recovered from their person, “one of them was a Pakistani while we are not sure about the other two yet”.
In a statement later, the army said there has been a spurt in infiltration activities in the recent past and the present infiltration bid comes close on the heels of similar attempt in Uri Sector few days back. “It is difficult to believe that the infiltration by such a heavily armed group, can take place without the connivance of local Pakistan military commanders.”
The army said current violence levels in the Kashmir Valley are low. “The infiltration bid indicates Pakistan’s desperate attempt to sustain cross border (militancy) and bring in weapons to orchestrate violent incidents in the valley.”
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar said, “There is a change in strategy from across the LoC”.
He said the “elements across the border were feeling frustrated by the prevailing peaceful atmosphere, rising number of tourist arrivals, visits of Union Ministers, and the peaceful situation after the death of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani.”
“ There is a new trend of hybrid and part-time militants, who are being given pistols to carry out target killings during evening hours,” he said as per GNS, adding, “They resume normal activities after a day. Around 97 pistols were recovered from militants, which signifies hybrid militants are being promoted”.
