New Delhi, October 15
Despite two hardcore militant outfits, the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and the Hizbul Mujahideen, suffering major losses in the October 8 earthquake in PoK, militancy and infiltration attempts are continuing in Jammu and Kashmir, the Army said here today.
“Militancy is continuing in the valley even after the killer quake that killed thousands in Jammu and Kashmir and Muzaffarabad in PoK,” said Director-General of Military Operation (DGMO) Lieut-Gen Madan Gopal. He was speaking at a briefing organised by the Union Home Ministry on relief and rehabilitation measures being undertaking in Jammu and Kashmir.
Two infiltration bids were foiled in north of Kupwara since the quake struck. The security forces had killed 29 militants, including 16 who were attempting to infiltrate in the past one week, he said.
On the losses suffered by militant outfits, he said the Army had intercepted messages after the quake struck the region that confirmed that some cadres of the two PoK-based militant groups had perished.
“Later, these groups stopped passing on information about the losses in the camps in areas like Rawalakot,” he added.
He did not give any figure saying he would not hazard a guess. However, he asserted that the Hizbul Mujahideen and the LeT, which have their camps in PoK, were the worst-affected.
Asked whether the anti-militancy operations of the security forces have suffered due to the quake, he said the forces were maintaining a “happy balance” between relief operations and operations against militants.
