‘29 foreign militants hiding in upper reaches, have already started operations in North Kashmir’
Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Srinagar, June 27: Jammu and Kashmir police Saturday said that militancy has obviously been weakened in South Kashmir but hasn’t been wiped out yet as there are 29 foreign militants who are hiding in upper reaches of Southern districts besides there are many locals still active there.
While talking to reporters on the sidelines of a wreath laying ceremony of a CRPF man at Humhama here, the IGP said that the militancy has been weakened and not wiped out in South Kashmir. “At least 29 foreign militants are active in South Kashmir, who are hiding in upper reaches,” he said.
On whether the militancy stands wiped out from South Kashmir as there have been a series of successful anti-militancy operations this year, the IGP Kashmir said that Hizb has been wiped out from Tral area of Pulwama district but militancy in South Kashmir prevails still.
“The remaining militants are being cleaned gradually. The Tral area, that has been the hot bed of militancy, it is for the first time since 1989, that there is no active Hizb militant. ”
Asked whether security forces have shifted their focus to north Kashmir, the IGP Kashmir said that the number of militants in north Kashmir is less compared to south. “We have already started anti-militancy operations in north Kashmir. Recently, we killed two local militants in Sopore area of Baramulla,” he said.
On a query whether human or technical intelligence was working more for the police in tracking down the militants, the IGP Kashmir said: “Both, human as well as technical intelligence is helping us to develop credible leads about the presence of militants. It is not that we are after a particular group of militants. We develop leads and act against militants and it’s later cleared to which outfit they claim”.
About Friday’s attack at Bijbheara in which a CRPF man and a five-year-old boy were killed, he said eye-witnesses and police sources have identified the militant involved in the firing. “It is Zahid Ahmed Das, who is with the JKIS. We are after him and he will be tracked down soon,” he said. (KINS)
