Srinagar: Personnel of the Jammu and Kashmir police and other security agencies, going to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha with their families in their native villages in the valley, have been asked to take extra precautions in view of the threat that militants could hit soft target during the festival.
After the killing of a number of Army and CRPF personnel who had come to their native villages on leave, the security agencies have already directed their men to be more cautious when they are visiting their homes in the valley in future.
During this moth 48 persons—26 militants, including some top commanders, 15 security personnel and seven civilians—were killed in different encounters and fidayeen attack and Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) in the valley. The civilians were killed when security forces opened fire to disperse demonstrators near encounter sites, who were trying to disrupt the CASOs.
However, the number of CASO) has come down, particularly in south Kashmir, after Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) directed all militants to stop using mobile phones. During the first fortnight of this month security forces conducted about one dozen CASOs, killing 21 militants, including five infiltrators in Gurez sector. Six security force personnel also lost their lives during these encounters.
The security forces during the last fortnight also conducted CASOs without achieving any success. But militants carried out a fidayeen attack on District Police Lines (DPL) , Pulwama, in which four CRPF and equal number of police personnel were killed. Three fidayeen of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) were also killed in the encounter which continued for about 18 hours.
Militants recently killed an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) of state police in Anantnag in south Kashmir.
Less number of CASOs by security forces in the second fortnight of this month is being attributed to militant strategy who have stopped using mobile phone after direction by top commanders, who believe that the movement of militants was being trapped through signals.
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir range, Muneer Ahmad Khan has also admitted that militants have stopped using mobile phone which makes it difficult to track them now. The comment by the IGP comes days after top brass of different militants group operating in the state, asked militants to stop using mobile phones.
However, he said, security forces are against them and we have to change the strategy. We will get them (militants) without they using mobile phones, he said.
Reacting to reports that a high alert has been issued Khan said we have just asked our officers and jawans to be cautious after the Pulwama attack. Eight security force personnel, four each of police and CRPF, were killed in a fidayeen attack on District Police Line (DPL) Pulwama last week. The three JeM militants who carried out the attack were also killed in 18 hour long gunfight.
The IGP Kashmir said he asked his officers and jawans to avoid places where there is a threat to their lives. “My job is not just to give bulletproof jackets and armed vehicles to police personnel. My job is also to caution them to not go to places where there is a threat to their lives,” he added.
The IGP said that after successful operations during which security forces killed top militant commanders in the last couple of months, it is obvious that they have gone into hiding to save themselves. They have gone into hiding in higher reaches of the valley. The way they used to roam freely in the towns has stopped,” he said.
“They have given space to foreign militants, like Jaish-e-Mohammad. Three of JeM militants were killed in the Pulwama encounter. There are still two groups of JeM operating in south Kashmir and outskirts of Srinagar,” Khan said.
