The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Monday released the data related to terrorists killed, and active terrorists among other details in the year. The state has witnessed a considerable decline in the number of active terrorists in a single year.
A total of 72 terrorists including 22 local terrorists and 50 foreign terrorists were neutralised in Jammu and Kashmir in 2023, CRPF said in a statement. It further said that in 2022, the number of terrorists neutralized remained at 187 which included 130 local terrorists and 57 foreign terrorists.
"A total of 91 terrorists including 30 local terrorists and 61 foreign terrorists are active in Jammu and Kashmir so far. However, a total of 135 terrorists were active in 2022 including 50 local terrorists and 85 foreign terrorists. Most of the active terrorists belong to Lashkar-e-Taiba," said CRPF in an official statement.
While militancy-related violence and local recruitment have gone down significantly in Kashmir Valley, militants seem to have shifted the focus seemingly towards Jammu which was a militancy-free region before August 5, 2019, when Article 370 was read down.
Officers mentioned that there has been a decline in terrorism activities in Kashmir but noted that the number of such incidents, causing casualty, is increasing in the Rajouri and Poonch areas of the Jammu region.
The region, which has rugged terrain with a thick cover of vegetation, has witnessed some of the deadliest attacks on security forces and civilians.
Meanwhile, a court in Jammu and Kashmir declared 23 terrorists from Kishtwar district, who are operating from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), proclaimed offenders, police said.
The special Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) court in Doda gave them a month to appear before it in connection with cases registered against them, failing which their properties will be attached, officials said. With Monday's court order, the total number of proclaimed offenders in Kishtwar stands at 36, they said.
"In a significant move to address security challenges within the district, 23 terrorists from Kishtwar operating from Pakistan and PoK have been declared proclaimed offenders by the UAPA special court in Doda," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kishtwar, Khalil Poswal told reporters.
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