‘Militants killed in encounters of Jammu & Kashmir were post-2016 recruits’

All militants who were killed in multiple operations in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday joined the terrorist outfits post-2016, J&K police chief S.P. Vaid told The Hindu on Tuesday.

Mr. Vaid asked people from Kashmir to “introspect” whether the violence aided by Pakistan from across the border “was doing them any good.”

Thirteen militants were killed as security forces launched “coordinated,” multiple operations in Shopian and Anantnag in south Kashmir on Sunday. Three Army men lost their lives in the operations.

The Kashmir Valley saw a surge in the number of local boys joining terrorist outfits after Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander Burhan Wani and two others were killed in an encounter with security forces on July 8, 2016.

Pellet guns

Mr. Vaid said a large number of protesters had gathered at the encounter site and there was no way to avoid the use of pellet guns. Four civilians were killed. Scores of them are being treated in Srinagar hospitals for pellet injuries. Some were hit in the eye. Mr. Vaid said, “The mob was pelting stones at security forces at the encounter site. When militants fire indiscriminately, the bullets don’t see if they will hit an Army man or a civilian. It was an open area and tear gas shells and PAVA shells were also used, but they remained ineffective,” he said.

According to Mr. Vaid, this was the first time in many years that an operation of this scale had been launched in Shopian.

He said he hoped the operations did not impact the tourist season in the Valley. He dismissed allegations by Pakistan that “human shields” were used in Sunday’s encounters. “When has Pakistan spoken the truth? Pakistan claims to be a friend of Kashmir but all this (violence) is their doing,” he said.