SRINAGAR: Ruling out hand of  Islamic State in the recent Zakura shootout,  top army, police  and paramilitary forces  Sunday asserted that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has  improved  after  repeated operations  launched by the security forces  saw killing of  190 militants in the current year in the valley.

As many as 190 militants were killed in 2017 so far. These include 80 locals and 110 foreigners. Of them 66 were shot dead near the line of control while infiltrating from across the border, General Officer Commanding 15th corps Lt Gen J S Sandhu told reporters at Badamibagh cantonment here.

About Hajin encounter, Lt Gen Sandu said six militants, all foreigners, were killed in the gun battle that took place after a hard labour by the forces. “We were looking for these militants for few months. A joint operation was launched on Saturday in which all of them were killed.  The slain militants included nephew of Zaki-u-Rehman Lakvi, top LET commander based in Pakistan.”

Lt Gen Sandu complimented the security forces for the successful operation.

The corps commander, commenting on the present situation, said he hoped that peace will prevail here and there will be no violence in the valley.

The GOC replied in affirmative when asked whether operation all out launched by the army, police and paramilitary forces jointly in the valley. “Yes, operation all out is successful”.

In reply to another question, the top army officer said that the security forces were not trigger happy to kill local militants. “We are not willing to kill local militants. We have apprehended some of them and even in an injured condition.”

He posed a question to the militants whether they were “real militants” or “proxy of Pakistan”?

The director general of police Dr S P Vaid appealed militants to shun the path of violence and join the mainstream. “I request all mothers of militants to appeal their wards to come back,” he said

Asked   to comment on emerging trend that close kins of top militants based in Pakistan were being sent to Kashmir for helping local militants, the DGP said “it does not matter for us who they sent here. Glorifying Pakistan does not matter for us”.

Inspector General of CRPF (operations) Zulfiqar Hassan, addressing media persons, also appealed to the local militants to abjure the path of violence and join the mainstream as violence will lead them nowhere. .

He said police and other agencies have set up helplines for militants and their families to contact them for an honourable surrender. Those who are willing can come back. We have set up help lines to listen to their calls. If they are not able to a contact us, their relatives could contact us and a way out would be find out to facilitate their return to the mainstream.

Inspector General of Police, Kashmir range, Muneer Ahmad Khan, ruled out hand of ISIS in Zakura shootout in which a sub-inspector Imran Ahmad Tak and a militant of parimpora area on the outskirts of Srinagar were killed and two others were injured. However, he said it is a matter of investigation (ISIS hand in Zakura). (Kashmir wire)

Guest