Army wiped out 14 militants in backdrop of worst Jammu and Kashmir
floods
Massive
rescue and relief operations notwithstanding, the Indian army has gone the whole hog
against militantskilling
at least 14 of them and arresting six more. The operation against militants was
carried out with the worst floods in the backdrop in
September across the Jammu and Kashmir.
"The terrorist activities in September were overshadowed by
floods in Kashmir. However, the month saw a number of infiltration attempts and
terrorist movement which was foiled by the army, resulting in the elimination
of 14 terrorists and apprehension of six others", said Colonel SD Goswami,
defence spokesman at Northern Command headquarters.
Colonel Goswami said
that with rains lashing the valley causing large-scale flooding in parts of
South Kashmir, the army eliminated three terrorists in an encounter at Hanjan
Bala near Shopian on September 2.
Within a week, four
more terrorists were eliminated at Laribal near Rajwar and Pharkian on
September 9 and 10 when Srinagar was reeling under the worst floods. Two more
terrorists were eliminated at Machhal on September 17 followed by four more at
Tangdhar in Kupwara district on September 19.
Thereafter, one more
terrorist was killed at Lolab in Kupwara district on September 30 bringing the
total number of terrorists dying in September to 14.
"During the same
month, a number of local terrorists were apprehended with the help of Special
Operations Group of Police", Colonel Goswami said.
The army's operations
against the ultras continued despite the fact that 30,000 troops were deployed
for rescue and relief efforts in flood-hit areas. Besides three teams of Naval
commandos too were pressed into service to help in rescue operation in north Kashmir. Sixty
four transport aircrafts and helicopters of Indian Air Force and Army Aviation Corps
were pressed into service for rescue and relief work.
Official figures
reveal that 12.5 lakh families have been affected by the floods which claimed
281 lives—196 in Jammu province and 85 in Kashmir valley. Around 29 persons
have also been reportedly missing in the floods. Around 5,642 villages were
affected across the state. As many as 800 villages were submerged for over two
weeks.
"There are now an
estimated 8,00,000 internally displaced persons [IDPs] in Jammu and Kashmir.
There has been a complete breakdown of an already overburdened healthcare
system", said a joint spokesman of doctors and civil society groups.
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