SRINAGAR: After over three decades, the people of Kashmir valley want an end to terrorism and this is evident from the anti-terror operations carried out since 1 January 2022. Eight out of 12 anti terror operations conducted last month were based on human intelligence and not on technical basis.
Senior security officials in valley say that now fed up with the unabated bloodshed and destruction in Kashmir, residents are coming all out and are sharing information about the presence of terrorists in their localities with the forces.
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir zone, Vijay Kumar told The New Indian that 12 encounters with terrorist took place in month of January, of which, “Eight encounters were based on human intelligence,” he said. “Only three encounters were based on technical inputs.”
In the 12 encounters, Vijay Kumar said eight foreigners (Pakistani Nationals) were among 21 terrorists were killed. “11 slain terrorists were part of Jaish-e-Muhammad terrorist outfit,” he said adding that two jawans of Army were injured in one of encounters in Shopian district of southern Kashmir, while the terrorists managed to escape.”
“Earlier the case was different. Locals would not inform about terrorist presence,” said a senior a senior Army officer posted in 15 Corps Headquarters of Army. “Now we get information about terrorist presence in any part of Kashmir.”
The two anti-terror operations in Pulwama and Budgam district in which five terrorists, including JeM chief was killed on Sunday, were based on human intelligence. “Both the very successful operation in Pulwama and Budgam were conducted on the basis of human intelligence,” said Major General Prashant Srivastava, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Army’s south Kashmir-based counter-insurgency Victor Force.
“Pulwama operation was not an isolated one but a part of a series of human intelligence-based operations that have been undertaken in the jurisdiction of the Army’s 15 Corps in the past few months.”
A senior police officer who was involved in tracking down of Lashker-e-Toiba terrorist commander of Salim Parrey of Hajin area northern Kshmir’s Bandipora district, who was killed in operation on 3 January in Shalimar Srinagar, said that it was based on human intelligence. “He was active since 2016 and could only be tracked because of information provided by the locals,” the officer said adding Salim was used cellular phone or gadget hardly.
The officer said that hardcore JeM Pakistani terrorist and one of the involved in Pulwama terror attack, Abu Saifullah alias Lamboo, was also killed after authentic intelligence by the locals.
“Lamboo along with another terrorist was killed in the encounter which lasted for not more than five minutes,” the officer said adding that operation was completed without any collateral damage.
Pertinently, Lamboo was the nephew of the chief of JeM, Masood Azhar, who was designated as a global terrorist by the United Nations in May 2019.