Jammu: As many as 172 militants including 79 foreigners are active in Jammu and Kashmir, Army said on Monday, adding the number included 15 local youngsters who joined the militant ranks since the beginning of the new year.
“A total of 156 terrorists – 79 locals and 77 foreigners – are active in Kashmir and 16 others including two foreigners are operating in the Jammu region,” a defence spokesman said quoting the data released by Indian Army’s northern command.
The data for January to March 2022 revealed that a total of 15 local men joined the militancy.
Two infiltration bids, one each in Kashmir and Jammu zones, were foiled along the Line of Control (LoC) this year, the Army said, referring to the infiltration bids foiled in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, and Poonch in the Jammu region in January.
“While one Pakistani terrorist was killed and another captured alive in Kupwara during the failed infiltration bid on the first day of the new year, an attempt by a group of terrorists to infiltrate into this side from across the border in the Poonch district was foiled the next day,” it said.
In addition, the Army scuttled the third infiltration attempt from Pakistan on Monday when the troops shot dead a militant along the LoC in the Naushera sector of Rajouri district.
On “terrorist initiated incidents”, the Army said a total of 35 such incidents were reported in the first three months of this year. “These included 27 terrorist initiated actions against security forces and eight atrocities committed against civilians,” it said.
The data also indicated that there was no ceasefire violation by Pakistan between January and March.
The Director-General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan have announced an agreement to uphold the ceasefire along the LoC from February 24 and 25 night in 2021.
The Army said “no terrorist surrendered to the security forces during the past three months, while security forces recovered 23 weapons during anti-terrorism operations across Jammu and Kashmir.”
