NEW DELHI, Jul 25: The security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have neutralized 79 Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists in the last two years, an official statement said on Tuesday.
According to officials, at least 35 terrorists have been killed by security forces in joint operations in Jammu and Kashmir this year that includes 27 unidentified and five belonging to The Resistance Front (TRF).
“In the year 2022, a total of 129 terrorists including 93 local terrorists and 36 foreign terrorists. Interestingly, there was only one unidentified terrorist in 2022, but in 2023, the figure of ‘unidentified’ rose to 27 till July,” an official said.
A senior officer informed that in the valley there are several terrorist organizations operating that include Hizbul Mujahideen, Tehrik-ul-Mujahideen (TuM), Al-Badr, Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK), Lashkar-e-Mustafa (LeM) and The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
“This year, we have managed to foil many infiltration attempts, and in various encounters, a total of 35 terrorists have been neutralized that include 27 foreign terrorists that remained unidentified and eight local terrorists associated with various organizations,” another officer informed.
“Because of sustained efforts of all security and intelligence agencies, there is a huge fall in local terrorists. The number of locals joining terror ranks also fell significantly. The security forces have an upper hand now when it comes to containing terrorism and terrorists in the Valley,” an official added.
According to security forces, the crackdown on over-ground workers (OGWs) who were assisting terrorist activities and the security grid has helped in thwarting infiltration attempts.
“The top terrorist organization-Hizbul Mujahideen, LeT, and JeM, have lost many of their men in various operations. There is a steep fall in the infiltration of terrorists from these organizations,” an official said. (Agencies)