New Delhi, July 25: In a significant development, security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have successfully neutralized 79 Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists over the course of the last two years, according to an official statement released on Tuesday.
This year alone, joint operations by security forces in the region have led to the elimination of at least 35 terrorists, out of which 27 were unidentified and five were associated with The Resistance Front (TRF).
Providing further details, officials revealed that in 2022, a total of 129 terrorists were neutralized, including 93 local terrorists and 36 foreign terrorists. Interestingly, there was only one unidentified terrorist in 2022, but this number rose to 27 by July 2023.
Various terrorist organizations are currently active in the valley, such as 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), which is a proxy of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Security forces credited their success to foiling numerous infiltration attempts and conducting several encounters. The encounters resulted in neutralizing 35 terrorists this year, comprising 27 unidentified foreign terrorists and eight local terrorists affiliated with different organizations.
The sustained efforts of all security and intelligence agencies have significantly reduced the number of local terrorists and their recruitment. The security forces are now better equipped to contain terrorism and address the challenges posed by terrorists in the Valley.
Cracking down on over-ground workers (OGWs) assisting terrorist activities and strengthening the security grid have contributed to thwarting infiltration attempts. As a result, major terrorist organizations such as Hizbul Mujahideen, LeT, and JeM have suffered significant losses in terms of manpower and infiltration attempts.
The overall trend indicates a decline in terrorist activities, signaling an improvement in the security situation in the region.
