Srinagar, Nov 2: A total of 41 foreigners among 167 terrorists have been killed during anti-terror operations with police and other security forces so far this year in Kashmir region, officials said on Wednesday.
A large quantity of arms and ammunition has been recovered from the slain terrorists and intense operations against terror will continue in the region, they said.
Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Kashmir range Vijay Kumar told Rising Kashmir the number of foreign terrorists (FTs) killed this year is double as compared to 2021.
“Twenty-one foreigners were killed in 2021 while this year 41 FTs have been killed during the anti-terror operations,” ADGP Kumar said.
The ADGP appealed to parents to monitor the activities of their wards and peer groups.
“I appeal to parents to monitor the activities of their wards. If any negative activity is noticed, kindly contact the police department. We would work jointly to bring them into the mainstream,” he said.
“Remember, today life of a terrorist is very short,” he added.
Another senior police officer told Rising Kashmir that 167 terrorists including 126 local and 41 foreigners were gunned down during various encounters with security forces.
“During the first 10 months of this year we have succeeded in killing 167 terrorists. The anti-terror operations would continue with full intensity,” he added.
The officer said “joint team of forces is achieving tremendous success in eliminating terrorists in clean sweep operations without any significant collateral damage.”
He also appealed to “misguided youth who have joined terror folds to shun the path of terrorism and return to the mainstream.”
The senior officer urged parents and elders to appeal their wards, who have joined terror ranks, to shun the path of violence.
The officer said they are also tracking over ground workers (OGWs) and hybrid terrorists. “Over 70 OGWs and hybrid terrorists have been arrested in the valley.”
“Various efforts are being taken to track down ‘terror’ recruitment and so far this year around 65 vulnerable youth were counseled in the Valley,” he said.
Following adherence to ceasefire pact for the past two years, “we were able to focus on curbing terrorist recruitment and it is being tactically controlled,” the officer said.
During the past six days, five terrorists including two foreigners have been killed in three separate gunfights in Kashmir Valley. Most of the operations were jointly conducted by the police and the army on the basis of specific intelligence inputs.
On Sunday, Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh said terrorist outfits are facing a leadership crisis in the Valley and so far this year 41 foreign terrorists have been killed by security forces.
“This year our special focus remained on foreign terrorists who are misleading and misguiding our youth to join terror ranks and during the process, we have been able to eliminate scores of them,” he said.
The DGP said most of the slain terrorists belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammad or LeT outfits. The hunt for remaining terrorists is underway by security agencies, he said.
About infiltration, he said in comparison to previous years the situation is by and large under control.
“Some attempts are time and again being made to push the terrorists here and in recent past many such attempts were foiled in Rajouri-Poonch, Kupwara-Baramulla areas,” he added.
