January 12
In the recent past, Militancy has suffered a huge set back as Army has intensified operations against them, As per official figures, at least 240 Militants have been killed in 2018.
Top commanders including Bashir Lashkar, Abu Dujana, Saddam Padder, Altaf Ahmed Dar (Kaczur), Sameer Tiger, Sabzar Ahmed Bhat have been killed after the Indian Army launched operation all out in mid-2017.
Sources reveal to The Kashmiriyat that Militancy has suffered more damage as the Government Forces have been able to break into the upper network of Militant outfits. Upper Ground Workers are civilians who take care of shelter, food and movement of Militants and manage their activities and hideouts.
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In 2014, almost as many militants and OGWs were arrested as killed by Government forces during Anti Militancy operations, however tthe trend changed following the killing of Burhan Wani as the numbers of Upper ground workers kept on increasing. But in 2018, the arrests of Uppers has increased eight times as compared to the previous year.
According a report by TOI, as many as 800 militants and OGWs were arrested last year, which Government Forces including the local Police consider as a major success. “Without OGWs and their logistic support, militancy cannot survive for lone,” officials feel.
The Southern Kashmir districts have been worst hit by the arrests as hundreds of youth from the four districts have been arrested and some still languishing in jails. “our whole network was busted after one of the Upper in our network was arrested and during torture he revealed our names,” an upper ground worker who wished anonymity told The Kashmiriyat.
“I was initially angry that he revealed our names, but when i was taken to a Camp in Kulgam, the torture we underwent, anyone would reveal anything, trust me, ” he said, adding that, a network of more than 14 uppers was busted and then the series of Militant killings started in 2017. “Our Mobiles were snatched from us,” he said.
Remembering the days when the Government Forces raided his house, he said in the dark on the night, they raided the house of all his relatives, but they used to sleep in the nearby orchards. “They did not find us for three months nearly, but after they started harassing our family, you know,” he told The Kashmiriyat.
In 2018, the data shows that more Kashmiri militants were killed than tgheir foreign associates and most of the encounters happened down in South kashmir. “That is because we were able to dismantle the local logistic support as we have broken into their upper network,” a Police official told TOI