Jammu & Kashmir: Militant violence
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Contents
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Year-wise statistics
Incidents and fatalities, 1990-2014
Terrorist violence in Jammu and Kashmir
See graphic, 'Terrorist violence in Jammu and Kashmir in 1990-2014'
December 8, 2014
Fatalities, 1990-2017
Asit Jolly , Can she stem the rot? “India Today” 15/4/2017
Deaths in Kashmiri Society: militants, civilians, policemen/ / 2014-15
Sources:
1. The Times of India, June 20, 2011
2. J&K government documents
State data refutes claim of 1 lakh killed in Valley
They are figures that have been quoted so often that they are widely believed to be true: almost 100,000 dead Kashmiri civilians and 10,000 people who have disappeared in the last two decades. From public meetings in small villages to TV studios, from online pages to newspaper reports, these figure are cited and printed, used to stir emotions and silence voices in Kashmiri society. But nobody bothers to explain how these figures were arrived at. TOI accessed Jammu & Kashmir government documents to arrive at the truth behind the urban legend. Collected between January 1990 and April 2011, the records are comprehensive and give year-wise breakup of all violent incidents in the state, the nature of the acts of violence, the number of people killed, and also the circumstances that led to the deaths.
Here’s what the data says. In the last 21 years, 43,460 people have been killed in the Kashmir insurgency. Of these, 21,323 are militants, 13,226 civilians killed by militants, 3,642 civilians killed by security forces, and 5,369 policemen killed by militants.
43,460 people killed in Kashmir insurgency between Jan 1990 and April 2011
21,323 were militants 13,226 civilians killed by militants
3,642 civilians killed by security forces
5,369 policemen killed by militants
Militants have killed over 13,000 Kashmiris since 1990
It seems that claims made by separatists on the number of Kashmiris killed during the insurgency are far from the truth.
Of the 43,460 people killed in the Kashmir insurgency in the last 21 years, 21,323 militants were killed in operations by security forces and include both Kashmiri and foreign militants. And of the 5,369 members of the security forces killed by militants, around 1,500 are Kashmiri policemen.
The government has collated the figures of civilians killed by security forces since 1990: it lists 3,642 people. The numbers vary from a high of 539 civilians killed in 1990, the year in which 51 people were massacred by the CRPF in just one incident when it fired at a crowd of protesters on a bridge at Gaw Kadal in downtown Srinagar, to 120 protesters killed across the state in firing by the police and paramilitary forces in the summer of 2010. The records also show another slaughter that has gone on ceaselessly since 1990, a slaughter that nobody comments on, nobody laments: of Kashmiris killed by militants since 1990. Of the 13,226 civilians killed by militants, 11,461 were shot and 1,765 died in grenade blasts and explosions.
These deaths are the ugly truth that Kashmir has learnt to ignore. The civilians killed fall into a black hole that Kashmiri society never discusses, remembers or protests against. They include two young sisters, Arifa (16) and Akhtara (18), who on January 31, 2011, were dragged out of their one-room house in downtown Sopore and killed. Akhtara took four wounds on her face and Arifa was shot in the chest. They were accused of being “immoral.”
The moderate, the mukhbir (informer), the political activist or the unlucky bystander, these deaths are forgotten the day after they occur. But the central message is remembered: if you cross the line, you shall pay with your life. The knowledge that you can be killed anytime, anywhere, and the fear of the hidden assassin, has percolated across society. That’s why separatist leaders like Omar Farooq or Abdul Ghani Bhatt, who have spent years spreading the truth about the atrocities on Kashmiris by security forces, are protected by the very same CRPF and J&K police. That’s why many journalists in Kashmir are followed around by armed policemen. No local newspaper dares print a story accusing militants of killing a civilian; the operative word is “unidentified gunmen”.
These 13,226 Kashmiris just do not exist in the collective psyche. There are no websites to them, no petitions and no organizations to keep alive their memory. Their only contribution has been to cement fear in 70 lakh people, where a clear distinction exists between what is said privately and in company. These figures are from the government. They make no mention or distinction between the official account and what sometimes happens in this dirty war. For example, there’s no clarity on whether the 21,323 militants claimed killed in operations by security forces includes or excludes the six innocent Kashmiri boys picked up and murdered by the Army after the Chittisingpora massacre in 2000.
The Army had claimed they were foreign militants responsible for killing 36 Sikhs in Chittisingpora. The CBI later said the Army had abducted the six from places around Anantnag and shot them in cold blood. Or the three innocent young Kashmiris “bought” by an Army unit for Rs 50,000 each and murdered in Machil in April 2009.
So, how many militants killed were actually militants? How many of the civilians killed by militants, as claimed by the government, were victims of Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashkar and not of “government agencies” as the separatists claim? Unfortunately, neither the Hurriyat nor the LeT have any lists of their own. The only thing these records establish is that one lakh people haven’t died in Kashmir insurgency.
What they help prove is that minus the some 4,000 jawans of the Army, BSF and the CRPF and the 5,000 odd “mehman mujahideen” from Pakistan, 34,000 Kashmiri men and women have died violent deaths as militants, mainstreamers, moderates or mukhbirs.
2015: Fewer civilians killed, but terrorist violence up
The Times of India, Nov 03 2015
Bharti Jain Fewer civilians killed, but terrorist violence up in J&K
Jihadis going more after securitymen
Terrorist violence in Jammu and Kashmir in 2015 has surpassed the levels recorded in 2014, with 169 incidents and 35 security personnel killed until October 25 as compared to 167 incidents and 30 force casualties in the corresponding period in 2014. Though 86 terrorists were neutralized till October 25 against 83 in the same period of 2014 and the civilian casualties caused while maintaining law and order stagnated at four, the number of civilian killings by the militants fell to 16 from 20 last year.
The latest statistics mark a year-on-year increase in most terror indices related to J&K. In fact, at 169 incidents until October 25, the figure of 170 incidents recorded in the whole of 2014 is set to be surpassed soon. Nevertheless, incidents have shown a steady decline from the high of 488 recorded in 2010, followed by 340 in 2011 and 220 in 2012.The security forces killed in terrorism-related incidents is lower than 2013 but higher than the 2011 and 2012 figure.
Terrorists, wary of losing ground support, are going after security forces more than civilians. Civilian killings have fallen from 28 in 2014, though they exceeded the levels (15 fatal casualties) seen in 2012 and 2013.
The security forces are not taking the higher casualties lying down and are retaliating in equal measure to terrorist attacks. As many as 86 terrorists were killed until October 25, as compared to 67 in 2013 and 72 in 2012. It remains to be seen if the 2015 figure of terrorist killings will surpass the 2014 mark of 110.
According to home ministry sources, around 200-220 terroristsmilitants, both local and foreign, are estimated to be holed up in the Valley .Though they possess arms, not many are actively engaging security forces in encounters. “This could be due to their poor and inadequate train ng. Earlier, militants could exfiltrate and train at camps n PoK but the heightened vigil by Indian forces at the border has made this a difficult proposition... not many ocal recruits are well-versed n the use of arms, which has made them less of a worry to he security agencies,“ a senior officer in the security es ablishment told TOI.
Sources said much of the local recruitment was taking place in Tral and Pulwama.“Many of the new recruits are unable to adapt to the hard life of a militant that involves liv ng in the jungles... they are not as committed or hardened and there have been some cases of these terrorists want ng to return to their fam lies,“ the officer said.
2016
2016: An increase in soldiers killed
The Times of India, Dec 18 2016
Terrorists Hit Army Convoy In Pampore
Terror attack in Pampore, in which three soldiers were killed, took the number of casualties among forces this year to 87, making 2016 the bloodiest year since 2008 for security personnel in Jammu & Kashmir.
Two motorcycle-borne terrorists opened fire on an Army convoy on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in south Kashmir's Pulwama district in the afternoon. Police sources and eyewitnesses said terrorists wearing pherans fired incessantly at vehicles carrying the Army men near Kadlabal in Pampore. After the attack, the terrorists fled from the spot, sources said.
A massive search opera tion had been launched, an Army spokesperson said.The security forces exercised restraint due to the presence of a large number of civilians in the nearby market, police said.
According to terrorwatch data site SATP, 84 security force personnel were killed in 2016, till last week, in various terror-related incidents in the conflict-ridden state. In 2008, which was marked by the Mumbai terror attacks and the subsequent escalation of tension between India and Pakistan, 90 security personnel were killed in the state. The following year, 78 se curitymen were killed in various terror-related incidents. The number of casualties among the forces dropped sharply to 17 in 2012.In 2013, the number went up to 61but came down steadily to 51 in 2014 and 41 in 2015.
Of the 87 casualties in 2016, 71 were killed in Kashmir Valley. More than three dozen Army men, including half a dozen officers, were killed in different attacks in 2016.
Nineteen Army men were killed in the Uri terror attack this year that led to massive ceasefire violations along the Indo-Pak border.
Security convoys have been targeted several times through the Pampore stretch of Srinagar-Jammu national highway that is also used to carry supplies to the Srinagar-based 15 Corps of the Indian Army . On February 20 this year, militants attacked an Army convoy and then took refuge in the government-run Entrepreneurship Development Institute. In the three-day standoff, three soldiers, including two captains and a Special Forces operator, were killed and part of the building was destroyed. On June 25, Lash kar-e-Taiba terrorists ambushed a CRPF convoy along the same Srinagar-Jammu national highway near Frestabal area of Pampore, killing eight officers.
The EDI building in Pampore was again targeted in October, resulting in another three-day stand-off between the forces and militants.
2016: Killing Of Terrorists Up 300%, Force Casualties 87%
Terror-related cases in J&K at 4-yr high: Dec 7, 2016, The Times of India
Killing Of Terrorists Up 300% From 2015 While Force Casualties Have Jumped 87%
Terror-related violence in Jammu & Kashmir has peaked to its highest level in four years, with incidents up 47% and killing of terrorists witnessing a 300% spike over 2015. Also, with fidayeen going after security personnel and their camps, force casualties have jumped 87% from 39 in 2015 to 71 till November 27, 2016.
In yet another interesting set of data put out in reply to a different question, the home ministry said 437 ceasefire violations were reported in 2016 in J&K until November 30, up from 405 in 2015. Of the 437 violations in 2016, 221 took place on the international border manned by BSF and 216 along the Line of Control guarded by the Army . The corresponding figures in 2015 were 253 violations on the international border and 152 on the LoC.
The ceasefire violations in 2016 resulted in killing of 12 civilians and injuries to 80 others, apart from leaving 111 houses structures damaged as on November 7, 2016. While eight Army personnel were killed and 74 injured till November 26 (as against six killed and 17 injured in 2015), the BSF suffered five fatal and 25 non-fatal casualties till November 30 this year.
The ceasefire violations in 216 temporarily displaced 27,449 people in J&K as they shifted to safer locations following the surgical strikes. Of this, around 6,000 persons were accommodated in relief camps and others stayed with their relatives. Majority of these people have now returned home and only around 220 families comprising around 700 persons are lodged in three relief camps.
2017
June 2017
At least 42 people, including nine policemen, were killed in Kashmir in June 2017 in what could be the bloodiest Ramzan in the Valley in years. The toll includes 27 militants and six civilian deaths.
Security forces’ casualties, 2016-July 2017
Bharti Jain, Pulwama attack ups Army's J&K casualties, August 27, 2017: The Times of India
The significant casualties suffered by the J&K police and CRPF in the fidayeen attack at Pulwama come at the back of a comparatively good year so far for the forces, with 31 security personnel martyred and 101 injured against 62 deaths and 192 injured in all of 2016.
Though attacks are higher with 79 cases of security forces having been targeted in the Valley state till August 25 as compared to 100 in 2016, the figure for July is way below June when a spurt in attacks on J&K police and para-military forces was reported.There were 12 attacks that killed three personnel and injured 10 in July this year, down from 26 attacks, 13 fatal casualties and 35 injured in June.Just one security personnel was killed in August (in first 25 days) but now with the Pulwama reverses, it will be fairly close to the eight fatal casualties reported in August 2016.
This year, attacks on uniformed men peaked in June but have been on the decline since with 12 attacks in July and six so far in August. Similarly , notwithstanding the high killings of terrorists in J&K this year (134 till August 17), the security force killings are half of the 2016 figure. 16 security personnel were killed and 54 injured in the past two-and-a-half months, as compared to 21 killed and 123 injured in the corresponding period of 2016. “The sustained intelligence-based operations undertaken in the recent months are carefully planned and carried out with close coordination among the J&K police, Army and CRPF, minimising casualties,“ said a senior official.
According to the agencies, with the heavy reverses inflicted on terrorists, J&K terror outfits are under pressure to retaliate. The fidayeen attack at Pulwama bears the fingerprints of Jaish-e-Mohammad, which had also carried out the Pathankot strike. “The terrorists in Pulwama are believed to be of foreign origin,“ said a senior intelligence officer.
More jihadis killed
New Delhi: Infiltration Too Shows A Downturn As counter-terror forces mount offensive against terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir, the gains are starting to show. As many as 92 terrorists were killed till July 2 this year, against 79 in the corresponding period of 2016. In fact, the numbers of terrorists killed in counter-insurgency operations so far this year have surpassed the yearwise figures for 2012 and 2013 when UPA was in power. While 72 and 67 terrorists were eliminated in J&K in 2012 and 2013 respectively , the numbers picked up during NDA's tenure, touching 110 in 2014, 108 in 2015 and 150 in 2016.“Terrorists killed till July 2 this year are only slightly less than killings through 2014 and 2015,“ a senior home ministry official said, attributing the successes to seamless coordination between the Army , central forces, state government and intelligence agencies.
“The forces have been given a free hand to track and intercept the terrorists holed up in the valley, before launching intelligence-based operations with due mapping of the target and how to neutralise ter rorists with minimum collateral damage,“ said a senior home ministry functionary .
The official underlined that among the 92 terrorists killed in J&K till July 2, most of the targets were big and prominent terror operatives.
Infiltration figures also show a decline. As against 371 infiltration cases recorded in 2016, 124 were recorded till May-end this year. “Many of these 124 terrorists have been neutralised since,“ said a home ministry official.
While terror-related incidents were higher at 168 till July 2 this year as compared to 126 in the corresponding period of 2016, stone-pelting incidents witnessed a dip.
Bank robberies
After the Dec 2016 demonetisation
Saleem Pandit, Militants on `mission loot' in Valley , May 4, 2017: The Times of India
Three Banks Robbed, Five Cops And Two Guards Killed In Last 72 Hours
Terrorists looted Rs 3 lakh from a branch of J&K Bank at Kakapora in south Kashmir's Pulwama district, less than two hours after four masked men carrying guns robbed Rs 5 lakh from Ellaquai Dehati Bank in Wahibugh village of the district.
Unidentified gunmen had barged into the Yaripora branch of the same bank and taken away Rs 65,000, and on May 1, terrorists had attacked a cash van of J&K Bank and shot dead five policemen and two bank guards in Kulgam district in south Kashmir.
There have been several successful attempts at robbing banks in the Valley since November 8 when demoneti sation was announced, suggesting that the terrorists are strapped of cash. The hawala trade is at standstill even as a series of moves by the Centre have dried up militants' financial resources. Short of money to buy weapons and pay their over-ground workers, the Hizbul and Lashkar terrorists are striking out at banks, which are also symbols of establishment.
Sources said attacks on banks may also force deployment of Central forces and state police for their security.“This means forces will be diverted to protect the nearly 1,500 bank branches across the Valley , leaving fewer personnel for the counter-terror grid,“ said an officer.
Central security establishment believes these attacks on banks could be a double-edged sword. Sources said since demonetisation was announced, most of the local populace have started keeping their money in banks. By creating a scare, the terrorists may be trying to force the people to once again keep their money at home, and help them access it when needed -as was the case always. There also seems a degree of public support to militants in the four southern districts on the prowl, looting banks and snatching weapons from J&K cops, with police saying they are investigating the driver of the van that was attacked on May 1, who has disappeared since then.
Security agencies said that local militants, who've mostly joined Hizbul Mujahideen, have no weapons and arms training. They depend mostly on snatched weapons from J&K police. Weapon snatching from cops has become routine in all four districts of south Kashmir.
Support to militants in these southern districts, Pulwama, Anantnag, Shopian, Kulgam, has increased since the encounter killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani in June 2016.
Human rights violations
1994-2017: 66 of 1,695 allegations were true
The Army claims only 66 of 1,695 allegations of human rights violations levelled against it since 1994 had been found to be true following investigation, with another 41 still being probed. For the established violations, around 150 personnel have been punished, and compensation has been awarded in 49 cases, the Army added.
A senior officer stressed on Monday that the Indian Army's human rights record “is one of the best in the world, which is appreciated globally“. The Army's claim comes against a backdrop of criticism for the force over the “human shield“ episode, which saw Major Leetul Gogoi controversially truss up a civilian on his jeep's bonnet to rescue over a dozen security and election personnel from a stonepelting mob in Kashmir last month. The officer said the Army had received 1,736 allegations, primarily during counter-insurgency operations in J&K and the northeast, from 1994 to April 2017. “Of them, 1,695 cases have been probed, while 41 are under investigation. Of the cases investigated, 1,629 were found to be either false or baseless,“ he added.
General Bipin Rawat's move to award the chief of army staff (COAS) commendation card to Major Gogoi even before the court of inquiry into the incident could be finalised, virtually giving him a clean chit, has fuelled criticism over the manner in which the force has handled the “human shield“ episode.
The Army chief, however, has made it clear he awarded the COAS commendation card to Major Gogoi to boost the morale of all the young officers and jawans engaged in counter-terrorism operations in a “dirty , proxy war“ amid stone-pelting mobs in the Valley.
Infiltration and recruitment of militants
2016: Jihadi recruitment saw 55% jump
Bharti Jain, Jihadi recruitment saw 55% jump after Wani, March 22, 2017: The Times of India
As many as 88 youths joined militancy in Jammu & Kashmir in 2016, the highest since 2010, the government told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday . Violent protests in the Valley had peaked last year in the wake of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani on July 8. Over 2,100 incidents were reported over a short span of three months from July to September 2016.
The figure of 88 Kashmiri youth opting for militancy last year marks a departure from the falling trend witnessed since 2014. In fact, the recruitment by terrorist groups in J&K last year was 55% higher than the levels witnessed in 2010, when stone-pelting protests caused a long spell of unrest in the Valley. In a written reply to a starred question in the Lok Sabha, Union minister of state for home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said that as compared to 88 youth who joined militancy last year, a much lesser 66 chose the path of violence in 2015, 53 in 2014, just 16 in 2013, 21 in 2012, 23 in 2011and 54 in 2010.
Ahir said the J&K government was trying to wean away the state's youth from militancy with greater police-public engagement, sports tournaments and cultural events. Also, the government is offering attractive incentives to surren dered militants, apart from opening up avenues for employment of local youth through programmes such as `Udaan' and `Himayat', he said.
A key reason for J&K youth gravitating towards militancy , according to an intelligence officer, may be the local sentiment generated by the killing of Wani. TheHizb commander's Facebook posts were very popular among young and impressionable Kashmiris. His neutralisation in Anantnag on July 8 spurred a cycle of violence, with protests only getting worse after the counter-action by the forces saw many agitators, particularly minors, killed and injured by pellet guns.
As per data furnished on Tuesday in reply to another question in the Lok Sabha, 820 `law and order' incidents were reported in July 2016, the month Wani was killed, followed by 747 and 535 incidents in August and September, respectively. Interestingly, 2016 also saw a sharp increase in infiltration from Pakistan, with 371 attempts against 121in 2015, 222 in 2014, 277 in 2013, 264 in 2012 and 247 in 2011. Last year also saw the maximum number of successful attempts at 119.
Marriages, liaisons
Pakistan-based terrorists seek Kashmiri wives: 1
Just like Abu Dujana's plans for a latenight rendezvous with wife gave the LeT commander away , leading to his elimination, there are several cases of foreign terrorists exposing themselves to surveillance on account of affairs and sexual misadventures with local Kashmiri girls.
“Most foreign terrorists of Lashkar-e-Toiba come from low-level families in Pakistan's Punjab. They are often tempted to court the attractive Kashmiri girls from welloff families. Wielding power of the gun and riding on their nuisance value, they either manage to impress local girls or force them to reciprocate to their advances,“ said an officer of J&K police. Of course, the affairs are fraught with serious security risks. “Their movements are compromised due to their frequent visits to meet their love interests or sexual partners. The police are in a far better position to generate human intelligence regarding their presence or movements,“ the officer said. There have been several cases of top commanders of Pakistan-based terrorist outfits like LeT coming under the radar either due to an identified pattern of movements in a locality where their love interests reside or even a tendency among dumped girlfriends and wives to get even by blowing their cover and alerting security agencies. An LeT commander in Srinagar, Abu Talha, was killed in 1999 after the father of one of the girls he had taken a fancy to tipped off the SOG and Intelligence Bureau.
LeT commander in Sopore, Abdullah Uni, who was killed in 2012 was known to have four to five girlfriends.He was a terror in Sopore and a difficult catch for the forces. But his affairs put him on the radar of the intelligence agencies, which closely followed his meetings with his girlfriends. “Finally, on the basis of a tipoff from one of his girlfriends, he was cornered and killed,“ said a former J&K police officer.
Pakistan-based terrorists seek Kashmiri wives: 2
Rohan Dua, `Dujana had become eyesore for girls’, August 2, 2017: The Times of India
Kashmir has witnessed a growing trend of Pakistan-based terrorists seeking Kashmiri wives for themselves, and as many as two dozen Pakistan-based LeT militants have courted women in villages in J&K as their “sympathisers“. But these women, after marriage, change their fathers' names while admitting their kids into schools and colleges, said sources. This fact was brought to fore when the mastermind of the 2005 attack on Indian Institute of Science In Bangalore and LeT operational commander Abu Hamza had married a woman in Sopore. “Neither the woman nor the kid is traceable now,“ said an intelligence officer. Dujana had developed a controversial reputation because of his illicit relations with Kashmiri women, said Kashmir IG Munir Khan. “He had become an eyesore for girls in that area. He could enter any home and engage in an unlawful relation. He had become a repeat offender of a sort,“ said Khan.
Recruitment of youths by militants
2010-2017
`70 Valley youths joined terror outfits in 7 months' , August 14, 2017: The Times of India
Seventy young men have joined the militancy in Jammu & Kashmir over the past seven months, with most recruits from three south Kashmir districts, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam, according to a senior security official. The three districts have emerged as the hub of homegrown tech-savvy militants.
The senior security officer, quoting official statistics, also claimed that 88 Kashmiri youths had joined the militancy in 2016.
Since 2014, there has been a constant rise in the number of people joining the militancy. As many as 66 youths joined in 2015 and 53 in 2014, according to data compiled by security agencies.
In 2010, 54 youths joined the militancy , while in 2011, the number came down to 23. It further dipped to 21 in 2012 and 16 in 2013, according to the data.
Security officials say Pulwama, which has of late emerged as a terror epicentre, is strategically important as it is the central point to connect Srinagar, Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Budgam districts of central Kashmir.
“The areas have seen the highest number of encounters and attacks,“ the officer added. The topography of Pulwama, with its vast orchards and fields ringed by dense forests, also provide operating cover to militants.
Pulwama was home to Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, who was killed in an encounter with security forces in July last year. It was also the base of slain Lashkar man Abu Dujana.
2017
Bharti Jain, In J&K, more terrorists die than are recruited, Aug 21, 2017: The Times of India
HIGHLIGHTS
The number of terror recruits in J&K this year, going by intelligence records, is around 71
As many as 132 terrorists have died in security operations so far this year
Though more youth joined terror groups over the past 3-4 months, deaths of terrorists exceed recruitment levels
NEW DELHI: A sustained crackdown on militancy in J&K, aided by strong ground intelligence, has seen the killings of terrorists outstrip recruitment by terror groups this year, with ranks of separatists increasingly dependent on infiltration of "foreign" operatives into the state.
The infiltration from PoK and Pakistan is slightly higher with 78 terrorists sneaking into J&K till July against 123 in entire 2016 but intelligence agencies say, given the current trend, it is a matter of time before the total number of active terrorists in the Valley sees a decline.
The number of terror recruits in J&K this year, going by intelligence records, is around 71, while as many as 132 terrorists have died in security operations. Of the 132 terrorists killed as a result of intelligence-based operations this year, 74 were foreign nationals and 58 locals. As many as 14 were top commanders of LeT, Hizbul Mujahideen or Al-Badr. These included two in the "A++ category, four in A+ category and eight in A category"".
Sources said cooperation between central and state agencies is paying off. J&K police, CRPF and Army have jointly accounted for top Hizbul Mujahideen leaders even before they could settle down to their roles as one succeeded the other. After Burhan Wani, who assumed charge of the outfit in 2014, was eliminated in an encounter on July 8, 2016, the counter-terror forces have been hot on his successor Zakir Musa's trail. Musa, however, parted ways with Hizbul and floated own outfit Ghazwat-ul-Hind in May 2019. Sabzar Ahmed Bhat, who took over after Musa, was killed within a week.
His successor Yasin Itoo did not last long and was killed on August 13, barely two-and-ahalf months after taking over.
Though more youth joined terror groups in the Valley over the past 3-4 months, deaths of terrorists exceed recruitment levels. Fatalities among terrorists surged from an average 9.5 killings a month till April to 18 in May, 30 in June and 25 in July.
