Srinagar: Fifty militants, 17 forces personnel and 9 civilians have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir during the first four months of 2020, which included some top commanders of JeM and Lashker-e-Tioba (LeT), the ABP News reported on Friday.
Among the dead militants, at least 18 have been killed during the month-long COVID-19 lockdown.
Giving details, officials in the security forces said that the slain militants, including district commander of LeT Muzaffar Ahmed Bhat, were killed in a gun-battle with govt forces in the Dialgam area of Anantnag district in south Kashmir on March 15, adding they belonged to LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen outfits.
On January 25, three militants, including JeM Kashmir chief Qari Yasir, were killed while three soldiers were injured in a gunfight in Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, they said.
On January 23, another top militant commander Abu Saifullah alias Abu Qasim, an associate of Yasir, was killed in the Khrew area of Pulwama district, the officials said.
On April 9, top JeM commander Sajad Nawab Dar was killed by security forces in Sopore in Baramulla district in north Kashmir, he said.
A top Hizbul Mujahideen ‘commander’ Haroon Wani was killed in a gunfight with the security forces in the Gundana area of Doda in Jammu and Kashmir on January 15, he said.
Giving further details, the officer said 18 militants were killed during the lockdown in the union territory since March 14. As many as nine civilians were killed by the militants during this year, he said.
Besides, seventeen security forces personnel were killed during the same period, which includes 13 security forces personnel, three Special Police officers (SPOs) and one policeman, he added.
As many as 160 militants were killed and 102 arrested in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, Director General of Police Dilbag Singh had said earlier. (Agencies)
