Three major encountersbetween militants and forces took place in Kashmir after the February 14suicide bomb attack on a central reserve police force (CRPF) convoy along theSrinagar-Jammu highway, inflicting “heavy casualties on the forces”, officialssaid on Sunday.
Two of these encounterstook place in southern Pulwama and Kulgam districts and one in Handwara area ofnorthern Kupwara district, leading to the death of an army major, a deputysuperintendent of police, an inspector of CRPF and eight forces personnel,including four army soldiers.
Senior security officialsassert that the rise in casualties on the forces side was due to “multiplereasons”, including “avoiding collateral damage, topography of areas, and ofcourse training of foreign militants, who, of late, follow the strategy ofchanging locations and using sophisticated weapons to target forces duringgunfights”.
Soon after the February14 suicide bomb attack at Lehtpora along the Srinagar-Jammu highway that killedat least 40 CRPF men and left more than two dozen others injured, the police,army and CRPF launched a “joint assault” on the Jaish-e-Muhammad which claimedthe attack.
On February 18, a fiercegunfight between militants and forces took place in Pinglan village of Pulwamadistrict, leading to death of three Jaish militants, including a local. An armymajor and three soldiers were also killed in the gun-battle in which deputyinspector general of police, south Kashmir range, Amit Kumar, and an armybrigadier Harbeer Singh sustained bullet injuries.
The forces said among thethree slain militants, two foreigners were identified as JeM’s chiefoperational commander Kamran and Rashid alias Gazi, while the local militantwas identified as Hilal Ahmed.
The Pinglan encounter wasfollowed by another gunfight at Tarigam area in the restive Kulgam district. Itled to the killing of deputy superintendent of police Aman Thakur, an armysoldier and three Jaish militants.
Moreover, in a freshencounter in Handwara, at least five forces personnel including an inspector ofCRPF were killed.
The slain forcespersonnel included two from the J&K police and three from the CRPF.
Two unidentifiedmilitants were also killed in the gunfight that lasted for more than 50 hoursSunday. In Pulwama and Handwara encounters, two civilians were also killed,with the forces claiming that they were “killed after getting caught incross-fire”.
A senior police officer,who wished not to be named, said in the recent three encounters, majority ofslain militants were foreigners who carried sophisticated weapons and were welltrained.
“Besides, all theseencounters took place during day time and in areas where topography and terrainwere tough,” he said.
“Majority of militantskilled in the three encounters belonged to Jaish and were foreigners. Given theway they fought and targeted forces, it became clear that they had gone throughvigorous training,” the officer said.
Inspector general of CRPF(operations) Zulfikar Hassan said there are multiple factors responsible forcasualties suffered by forces in the recent encounters.
“Forces have sufferedcasualties in the past also, it’s nothing new. But yes, of late, where wesuffered casualties we are taking greater risk to ensure there is no civiliancasualty,” Hassan told Greater Kashmir.
“We also don’t wantcollateral damage,” he said.
He admitted that slainmilitants were highly-trained but hastened to add that “most of the CRPFofficers who take on militants are in Kashmir since 2016 and fully acclimatisedin dealing with anti-militancy operations.”
The IG CRPF also saidthat officers sustain bullet injuries because “they lead from the front as isevident from the nature of injuries they receive.”