Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Oct 23: Security agencies have listed over 1200 Over Ground Workers (OGWs) across Kashmir who are helping militants in logistics besides carrying out reconnaissance for them.
Sources said that security agencies have listed 1242 OGWs across Kashmir and are keeping a close watch on their activities. These OGWs, as per reports, are helping militants in logistics and are carrying out reconnaissance for militant attacks. However, unofficially the number of OGWs in Kashmir has been put at 1850.
Out of these OGWs, 350 are in North, 350 in South and 200 in Central Kashmir. However, unofficially the figure of OGWS in North, South and Central Kashmir is at 550, 1100 and 200 respectively.
A top security official said that as per the official records there are 235 militants active in Kashmir. However, he put the unofficial figures of militants across Kashmir at 360.
The official said that in Kupwara, 80 militants are active while unofficially, he put the figure at 100. In Sopore, there are 18 militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) active while unofficially the figure is 35.
In Bandipora, there are 9 JeM and LeT militants but unofficially the figure is 15 while in Baramulla, the number of active militants is 12 and unofficially the figure is 25.
The official said that in South Kashmir, there are 81 militants of HM, JeM and LeT active while unofficially the number is 130. And in Central Kashmir, the official put the figures at 35 while unofficial figure of number of militants in Central Kashmir is 54. The official said in Srinagar, that was few months back militancy free, has 18 active militants with 5 of them locals and rest are foreigners.
Sources said that out 235 militants operating in Kashmir, 153 are Pakistanis and rest are locals. Out of these Pakistani militants, as per Multi Agency Centre (MAC) figures, 83 have infiltrated into Kashmir from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) this year till August while rest are Kashmiris and around 50 of them have joined militancy this year only.
Security forces have killed 113 militants this year which is highest in recent years. The killing of record number of militants had led to rise in infiltration this year.
Army has brought three brigades of troops for tackling the rising militancy in Kashmir this year and out of these one has been deployed in Shamsabari ridge in North Kashmir to strengthen counter-infiltration grid and other two brigades have been deployed for countering militancy in the hinterland.
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