After South, security forces to shift focus on North: IGP
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 16: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, today said that three militants including a top commander affiliated with Hizbul-Mujhaideen were killed in an encounter at Turkuwangam village of Shopian district. He said that the militancy in South Kashmir is almost wiped out and now focus of the troops will be on North Kashmir.
Kumar told a press conference in Srinagar that it was a clean operation. “No collateral damage has taken place. The operation was launched after Srinagar police received inputs about the presence of militants there,” he said.
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The IGP, who was accompanied by GOC Victor Force, Major General A Sengupta and IG CRPF, Rajesh Kumar, said that the militancy in South Kashmir has almost come to an end while the focus will be shifted to North Kashmir from next month. “The active militants in Kashmir are now running short of ammunition. We have recovered almost 25 AK weapons this year so far,” he said.
Kumar said that last night, the Srinagar police was informed about the presence of some militants in a village in Shopian. “Then Army, CRPF and police in coordination laid a cordon. The subsequent searches resulted in an encounter in which three militants have been killed”, he said.
The militants have been identified as Muneer Ahmad son of Habibullah of Sugan, Zubair Ahmad Wani son of Nazir Ahmad Wani of Turkwangam and Kamran Zahoor son of Zahoor Ahmad Manhas of Shadab Kareva.
Zubair was district commander of the HM and was active since 2017 and 21 FIRs were registered against him in various Police Stations.
Asked about the audio clip wherein a youth who joined militant ranks claimed that he was forced to pick up guns, the IGP stated that the youth had a Jamaat background and the allegations leveled by him were investigated and found baseless.
About Sarpanch who was killed in South Kashmir recently, the IGP said that the Hizb was involved in the act, saying that eye-witnesses have confirmed that two militants identified as Umar and another was involved in his killing while forensic report is awaiting and will be shared accordingly.
In Bomai, he said that a woman Sarpanch was kidnapped by militants who also captured her video, adding that a militant identified as Waleed and a local are involved in the act. “We have safely evacuated the woman and her husband who is Panch to a safer place and will be given protection,” he said, adding that those having threat will be given security cover.
Asked about the recent narco-module that was busted in Kupwara, the IGP said that the module is big and they are expecting more arrests soon. “The module has already distributed Rs 3.5 crores among the militants. Investigation is going and many arrests are expected soon,” he said, adding that the kingpin among the four have been arrested so far and they have also sold narco material in Amristar worth Rs 5 crore out of which 3.5 crore have been distributed among militants.
“Certain people in Pakistan cultivate opium and then they send it here via LoC and IB through militants and their handlers. The associates of the militants here, receive that and sell that in Punjab, Delhi and other places. The money they get after selling the drugs is distributed among the terrorist organizations here.
Kumar said drugs are the main source of funding for militancy, saying that the drugs are being sold in different parts of the country. “These drugs reach Kashmir through associates and we have been successful in busting many of such modules,” he said.
He said that the main kingpin of this is a person named Iftikhar, He has got links in Pakistan. “There is another person in Pakistan named Sonu, he is the local LeT commander there. There are two more; one is Qaasim Geelani and another Yousuf Geelani. These all are LeT commanders, basically from Kashmir, but currently are in PoK”, he said.
The GOC said that the operation was executed without disrupting the normalcy in the village. “Over the last 15 odd days, we have neutralized 24 terrorists; none of the operation carried out has resulted in any collateral damage”, he said.
“We have also ensured that the recruitment is reduced to the minimum and we have appealed to the parents that they should tell their youth who have been absconding from their homes to return to normal life as it will ensure further peace in the Valley”, he added.
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