Conflict
Kashmir: 200 militants killed in 2018 so far, 50 apprehended, says report
Srinagar: After two militants were killed in a gunfight in Kupwara district of North Kashmir on Tuesday, the toll has reached 200 this year, India Today reported. According to the report, most of the militants were affiliated to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit.
109 militants were killed in south Kashmir, the report said, whereas North Kashmir saw 45 killings.
Among the major operations was the killing of Abu Mateen and Abu Hamaas in March this year, followed by Sameer Ahmad Bhat alias Sameer Tiger in Shopian on April 1.
The next few months witnessed the killings of top militant commanders like Saddam Paddar, Abu Qasim and Abu Maviya. Last month, 27 militants were killed, including Mannan Wani, Mehrajudin Bangroo and Sabzar Ahmad Sofi.
Moreover, 50 militants were apprehended while five militants surrendered before the forces.
Last year the figure was 200 as on November 30, the report said.
Scholars-turned-militants Mannan Wani and Sabzar Sofi‘s killings sparked turmoil in the region with resistance leaders having called for valley-wide shutdowns following the news.
“After scholar Manan Bashir Wani another scholar Doctor Sabzar has been martyred by Indians. These martyrs represent the soul our struggle for freedom and self determination and this nation is in all means indebted to them. “A nation whose sons are being massacred by tyrants cannot tolerate tyranny and illegal occupation silently and do anything that can strengthen the blood soaked hands of killers and murderers,” had read a statement of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front party.
Social networking giant Facebook had censored news pages and profiles for posting Mannan Wani’s images following the news. It had also taken down news portal The Kashmir Walla’s video report on the killed militant featuring his father’s voice in the background
