Since the Modi government stormed to power, it has been pretty much successful in controlling and reducing the menace of terrorism. It launched Operation All Out (OAO) in Jammu & Kashmir in order to uproot the long existing problem of separatism and to check the anti-India sentiments propagated in the state.
Operation All Out, the joint offensive launched by the Indian Security forces against militancy in the Kashmir Valley seems to bear results. The forces have successfully gunned down many of the nuisance and separatist elements in J&K.
According to the DNA report, over 230 terrorists have been killed in Jammu & Kashmir in 2018. Officials on Saturday, December 7, said that the security forces have been successful in annihilating over 230 terrorists in the state and there is also a decline in injuries caused due to stone pelting. From June 25 to September 14 this year, approximately 51 terrorists were gunned down while eight people including security personnel lost their lives and 216 people including security personnel got injuries.
From September 15 to December 5 this year, 85 terrorists were neutralized by the forces. During this time, 2 civilians lost their lives while 170 received injuries due to stone pelting.
The Operation All Out is being jointly carried out by the Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Jammu & Kashmir Police, Border Security Force (BSF) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) against militant groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizbul Mujahideen and Al-Badr.
The operation was initiated after Burhan Wani was killed in 2016 and there were ‘bandhs’ across the valley for months. There was also a terrorist attack on the Amarnath Yatra in July 2017, wherein eight Hindu pilgrims were killed and approximately 18 others were injured. Ministry of Home Affairs finally gave its nod and OAU has since then been carried out in J&K.
As per the Hindustan Times report, a senior police officer said that in 2018 more than 15 top militant commanders associated with Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar, Hizbul Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and Ansar-ul-Gazwat-ul-Hind were gunned down. “Even the militant modules who were helping commanders and several hideouts were busted”, the officer said.
The officer added, “The killings of several commanders have put the commanders who are at large under tremendous pressure.” He also mentioned that there are just 3-4 prominent militant leaders left in the valley.
In November 2018, as many as 9 top commanders were killed during various encounters in the valley especially, in the south Kashmir region. Five of them were affiliated with Hizbul Mujahideen and four with Lashkar.
An officer posted in south Kashmir citing reasons for the successful operation said, “The intelligence network, flow of information from both human and other sources and shifting of the militants from forests to populated areas in the month of November are the reasons for killing of militants.”
Moreover, the number of youth in applying to the Indian Armed Forces has seen a surge. In July this year, approximately 19,000 youth applied for recruitment in the Army. In the month of October, 600 Kashmiri youth took part in Army’s recruitment drive carried out in Srinagar.
Also, the CRPF through its unique Madadgaar initiative is winning hearts in Kashmir. Last year, the CRPF started the Madadgaar helpline (14411) for people in the valley. According to the Times of India report, since its launch, Madadgaar has solved problems pertaining to eve-teasing, water, electricity and road construction, medical emergencies, domestic violence, dowry harassment, fire emergency, natural calamity, extortion threats, recruitment information and has provided guidance and career counseling.
Through their positive outreach, the CRPF is killing two birds with one stone. On one side, the forces are helping civilians and bringing them into the mainstream, while on the other, they are neutralizing terrorists active in the valley.
The Indian Army is doing a commendable job by establishing peace and harmony in Jammu & Kashmir by gunning down the militants as well as offering help to the civilians in the valley via steps like ‘Madadgaar’.
