Two encounters in three months this year in Kashmir

SRINAGAR: Militancy in Kashmir has come down significantly as there were fewer encounters and targeted killings in Kashmir in the first three months of this year compared to the same period in the previous two years.

Only two encounters reported in Kashmir in the first three months of 2023 and there has been no hit-and-run attack on security forces by militants in this period, according to data. Of the two encounters, one took place on January 17 in central Kashmir’s Budgam district in which two newly recruited local Lashkar militants were killed. In the second encounter on February 28 in Awantipora area in Pulwama, two local TRF militants were killed.

Militants carried out two targeted attacks in the Valley so far this year in which a Kashmiri Pandit bank guard was killed and son of a slain policeman injured. Both attacks took place in south Kashmir.
An Army man was killed in militancy this year. The jawan was killed in an encounter with militants in Awantipora area of Pulwama on February 28.

In the first three months of 2023, the Army foiled three infiltration bids at Line of Control (LoC) – two at Tangdhar in Kupwara and one at Balakote sector in Poonch. Four militants were killed while foiling the three infiltration bids.

As against two encounters in Kashmir this year, there were 21 encounters between militants and security forces in the Valley the same period last year. In these 21 encounters, 39 militants, a policeman and an Army man were killed. In the comparable period in 2021, eight encounters took place in which 19 militants and an Army man were killed.

While two targeted attacks by militants in the Valley were reported in January-March period, 10 targeted attacks were reported in the first three months of last year. Six security men, two sarpanchs, a panch and a civilian were killed by militants.

In 2021, militants carried out seven targeted attacks in Kashmir in which eight security men, two minority community members and a BJP councilor and his father were killed. While the Army foiled three infiltration bids this year, two infiltration bids were foiled during the same period last year while no infiltration bid took place in the first three months of 2021. J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has said that security forces have gained upper hand over the militants due to good coordination among them and top militant commanders have been killed in the valley.