Police in Jammu and Kashmir denounce that local recruitment is on the rise in the valley (Representation)
New Delhi:
Violence levels in Jammu and Kashmir may have fallen by 35% over the past year, but the Home Office (MHA) takes no comfort from that figure and has reported that problems with local terrorism was gaining ground in the valley.
According to Interior Ministry statistics, a total of 120 incidents were reported up to July 15 this year, while 188 incidents were reported last year. But what is of great concern is the number of local terrorists killed, indicating that recruitment is on the rise in the valley.
According to MHA data, of the 136 terrorists killed up to mid-July this year, only 15 were foreigners and nine have yet to be identified. The others were locals. Last year, during this period, 126 terrorists were killed.
However, police in Jammu and Kashmir report that local recruitment is on the increase in the valley.
“In 2020 so far, 79 young people have joined various terrorist tanzeems while last year in 2019, 135 were identified who joined various terrorist groups,” says Vijay Kumar IGP (Kashmir).
According to him, out of 79 local teenagers who joined terrorist groups, 38 were killed and 12 were arrested. “At present, 29 local terrorists who were recruited this year are operating in the valley,” he adds.
“Statistics alone cannot project reality on the ground. Those who are killed are not well trained and are not well equipped, ”says Avinash Mohananey, former joint director of the Intelligence Bureau who managed the Kashmir office for more than a decade.
Meanwhile, Jammu Kashmiri police have named three die-hard members of Hizbul Mujahideen – Zakir Musa, Riyaz Naikoo and Burhan Koka – all locals, but feared terrorists, responsible for many heinous acts, killed in encounters in the South. -Cashmere.
The meetings that take place in the plains and in Srinagar are another reason that sounds the alarm in the northern bloc.
“Previously, such meetings took place in hilly areas, but now even in the plains, the presence of local terrorists is there and it is a source of concern”, reveals a senior official of the MHA.
According to him, armed terrorists now frequent Srinagar.
“Two days ago, Lashkar terrorists – Ishfaq Rashid and Aijaj Bhat – were killed in the city of Srinagar. It is a dangerous trend,” he said, adding earlier in May, Junaid Serhai, a senior Hizbul commander, was also killed at Nawakadal in Srinagar.
“Most of the operations in the valley were clean operations and no collateral damage was reported. We were successful in stopping the funeral processions and the bursts of guns as well,” DGP Dilbagh Singh told GalacticGaming.
The Interior Ministry fact sheet also pointed out that, in an important achievement, the violence initiated by terrorists has decreased this year. According to data up to mid-July, only 21 terrorist-initiated incidents were reported, while last year in 2019, up to 51 incidents were reported. IED attacks have also declined.
“This year, only one incident was reported while last year 6 cases of IED were reported,” said a senior official.
