J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Security forces against ceasefire
Jammu, September 21
Top officers of the security forces fighting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir are not in favour of the government announcing ceasefire with ultras during the holy month of Ramzan. They have warned that the ceasefire would provide an opportunity to the demoralised terrorist cadres to again consolidate their position and regroup.

5 killed, 51 hurt as bus falls into gorge
Jammu, September 21
Five passengers, including a woman, were killed and 51 injured when a bus rolled into a deep gorge near Rehan in Rajouri district today. The bus was on its way to Rajouri from Budhal when the driver lost control over the vehicle. Four of the killed have been identified as Mohammad Shafqat, Mohammad Riaz, Sikendar Khan and Tanzeem Begum.

9 militants killed in valley
Srinagar, September 21
Nine militants were among 13 persons killed and 12 others were injured in separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir since yesterday, while the security forces averted a major tragedy by recovering 100 kg of RDX in Kupwara district. Four armed infiltrators were killed in an encounter with security forces at Boniyar in the Uri sector of Baramulla district today. Four bodies of militants were recovered from the area.

Security forces against ceasefire 
S.P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 21
Top officers of the security forces fighting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir are not in favour of the government announcing ceasefire with ultras during the holy month of Ramzan.

They have warned that the ceasefire would provide an opportunity to the demoralised terrorist cadres to again consolidate their position and regroup.

The top brass of the Army, paramilitary forces and police do not want to be quoted on the issue as it was a “policy matter” of the government, but while talking to this correspondent they did not hesitate to oppose any such move that would break the tempo of the ongoing successful operations against the ultras. Several commanders of various terrorist outfits have been shot in the past few days.

Quoting an example, a senior officer pointed out that the ceasefire during Ramzan in 2000 provided an opportunity to the terrorists to consolidate their position and attack innocent persons with a much greater intensity after that. They started targeting military and police installations with sophisticated arms and ammunition.

Another Army officer said the month-long ceasefire was utilised by terrorists to build concrete bunkers in the Hillkaka area of the Poonch district, which became virtually a logistic supply depot for the ultras.

A police officer handling terrorist operations said at the moment the security forces were enjoying upper hand over the terrorists and top leaders of ultras were being shot every day, but a ceasefire would reverse the position as the troops would have to re-plan their operations from “point zero” after the expiry of the ceasefire.

He said the previous experience had shown that the mushrooming terrorist outfits were not under the control of any umbrella organisation, including the Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujaheedin. They had been violating the ceasefire in the past.

An officer of a paramilitary organisation pointed out that the troops and innocent people had to face the consequences of an earlier ceasefire that was offered by Majid Dar, a lieutenant of Salahuddin. The ceasefire at that time was stretched beyond the holy month of Ramzan.

Meanwhile, various parties have started politicising the issue to score a point. The security forces visualise the yesterday’s conditional ceasefire offer of the Hizbul Mujaheedin as mere politics.

“How they expect India to scale down the presence of troops under the existing situation?” an Army officer said.

The chief spokesman for the Hizb, Ehsan Elahi, while offering a conditional ceasefire, had said India should scale down troop presence along the Line of Control, stop human right violations and release all political prisoners and then they would consider a ceasefire.

It is worth mentioning that Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had recently offered the terrorist outfits that the government could announce ceasefire if the terrorists took the initiative of stopping attacks on innocents, throwing grenades and planting improvised explosive devices.

5 killed, 51 hurt as bus falls into gorge
Tribune News Service

9 militants killed in valley
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, September 21
Nine militants were among 13 persons killed and 12 others were injured in separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir since yesterday, while the security forces averted a major tragedy by recovering 100 kg of RDX in Kupwara district.

Four armed infiltrators were killed in an encounter with security forces at Boniyar in the Uri sector of Baramulla district today. Four bodies of militants were recovered from the area.

One boy was killed and four others, including two security personnel and two boys, were injured when militants hurled a grenade at an Army vehicle on the Srinagar-Gulmarg road this afternoon. The grenade targeted at an Army vehicle exploded on the road at Chandilora near Tangmarg in Baramulla district causing injuries to five persons, including three boys and two security personnel. One boy, Hilal Ahmad, later succumbed to his injuries in hospital, police here said.

A Pakistan militant, Abdul Waleed, alias Showkat Hussain, of Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit, was killed in an encounter with security forces at Chitragam Kalam in Pulwama district today.

Three persons, including a shopkeeper, were killed in an explosion in the shop of Mohammad Aslam at Hari Budha Mandi in Poonch district of Jammu region today.

Two foreign militants of Al-Bader outfit, one of them a Divisional Commander, were killed in an encounter with security forces at Kotli Kalaban in Manjakote sector of Rajouri district yesterday. Two militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit were killed in an encounter with security forces at Gulabgarh in Mahore sector of Udhampur district on Tuesday evening.