Author:
Publication: The Times of India
Date: October 31, 2001
URL: http://www.timesofindia.com/articleshow.asp?art_ID=1455155295
RAJOURI, Jammu: A total of 572 militants
have been eliminated by police and security forces
in the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri since January 1 to October-end
this year, a senior Army officer said here on Wednesday.
Out of 572, 37 have been killed
in Pir Panjal ranges by the Army units located in the area to counter militancy
and pressure on the militants continued unabated, Major General Dalip Mukherjee,
who heads the Romeo Force tackling the insurgency, said here.
Police and security forces have
evolved a joint strategy to combat the insurgency in these areas by launching
joint operations which has helped in eliminating the terrorists, 90 per
cent of whom are foreigners, he said.
He estimated the number of foreign
mercenaries present in Pir Panjal ranges about 300 to 500, who often mobilise
themselves in the ridges and higher mountain peaks.
He said most of these militants
are being sent to Jammu and Kashmir for a maximum period of two years and
are being replaced by new comers from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Heavy pressure from the security
forces and non-cooperation from the local population the ultras are now
trying to return, tight security along the Line of Control has made that
too very difficult, he said. (PTI)
