Srinagar, Dec 03(KMW): Claiming that 180 militants are active in Jammu and Kashmir, the Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Prasad Tuesday said local militants constitute 30 per cent of the total militants in the state.
According to the KMW correspondent, DGP while talking to media persons he said: “Out of 180, there are 30 percent locals who are active and rest are foreigners.â€
Claiming that the three militants killed during the Handwara encounter belong to the militant out-fit Laskhkar-e-Toiba (LeT), the DGP stated that Al-Nasreen is the ‘pseudonym’ of the LeT in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mr Prasad further mentioned that the role of the state police is to reduce the collateral damage and that it has in the past also tried its best to minimize the civilian causalities during the militancy related operations. “We have witnessed particularly from the last few years, the collateral damage is on decline during encounters due to the efforts of police.â€
The DGP was talking to reporters after he visited the encounter spot in Handwara, where all three militants holed up inside a house were killed early this morning, after security forces blew up the building.
So far two bodies of militants have been recovered and search is on to find the third militant’s body. The 16-hour-long encounter began on Monday afternoon, when on a tip-off, Special Operations Group and men of 21 and 30 Rashtriya Rifles surrounded the building.
A heavy exchange of fire ensued throughout the evening and night, which continued till the wee hours. The house was completely destroyed in the gun battle.
Sources said while checking the debris, four army personnel suffered injuries after a grenade exploded on the spot.
