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| Encounters on decline | | | Anti-terrorists operations in Kashmir have gone down since August 5 when centre announced its decision to abrogate J&K's special status and bifurcate it into two Union Territories-J&K and Ladakh. There have been less than a dozen gunfights between the terrorists and security forces during the past four months. In these encounters, 18 terrorists have been killed.
The security agencies have been claiming that counter insurgency operations are on and the terrorists are being tracked but the number of encounters going down has made it clear that focus of the security forces after August 5 shifted towards maintaining law and order. However, no major protest broke out in any of the areas and only a few stray incidents were reported from different parts of the Valley.
Another factor which led to the number of encounters declining could be the communication blockade as post-paid mobile phones in Kashmir remain shut for more than 40 days. Pre-paid mobile phones and internet on all platforms across Kashmir continue to remain shut even today. Soon after the post-paid mobile phones started ringing in Kashmir, a few encounters did take place but the frequency of gun fights has not been the same. Last month a top officer of the Border Security Force had said that the security forces have got enough resources to track the satellite phones being used by the terrorists. Infact, the security forces have recovered the satellite phones from the encounter sites at Ganderbal in Central Kashmir and Baramulla in North Kashmir.
There are reports that the terrorists have been asked by their masters sitting across the Line of Control to maintain a low profile and somehow survive till the winter season ends. Prior to August 5, security forces had killed more than 150 terrorists including the top commanders of the terror outfits operating in the Valley. In 2018, security forces had killed 257 terrorists-highest in the past 5 years. Another reason for number of encounters declining could be that not many local youth have been joining the terror outfits during the past few months as most of them seem to have realized that a terrorist's life span is not more than six months. Whatever be the reason, the security grid in Kashmir cannot lower the guard as there are reports that terrorists are waiting to cross over into this side so that they can join the terrorists present in the Valley to carry forward their agenda of violence and destruction. |
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