Jammu & Kashmir: 225 Terrorists Killed In 2018, Says Army Commander

Over the last one year, over 225 terrorists have been neutralised in Jammu and Kashmir, said Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh on December 8. He further said that due to several initiatives taken by local police and the army, there has been a drop in youths joining the militant forces.

“We have been able to neutralise a large number of terrorists. As of today, we have neutralised more than 225 terrorists,” Mr Singh told reporters in Kapurthala during his visit to Sainik School, his alma mater, reported PTI.

Another thing which he mentioned as a good sign is that locals have been sharing information about terrorists with the army. “That is a very positive sign, which shows a decline of militancy,” he said.

He further said that this showed Pakistan’s frustration into pushing terrorists into Indian territory. He also said that no matter what, the army will always restrict the movement of the militants and will make sure that local youth are not radicalised. “We will ensure that peace and stability are maintained in J&K,” he added.

Speaking of Pakistan, he said the neighbouring state has been trying to push terrorists in our country. Although, he did praise the Kartarpur corridor saying that it will help with people to people contact.

“All the initiatives by the government and security forces in J&K are paying rich dividends. There is a reduction in the number of local youths joining militancy, that has been happening in the last couple of months. There is also a decline in radicalisation,” he said.

The Logical Indian Take

In a tweet on June 22, 2018, Union Justice and Law Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, put out statistics on the number of terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir, stating the ‘fact’ that there has been an increase since the BJP-led NDA government came into power in 2014.

Number of terrorists killed in Jammu & Kashmir:
In 2012- 72
In 2013- 67
In 2014- 110
In 2015- 108
In 2016- 150
In 2017- 217
In 2018 (till May)- 75
This is the story of efforts made during UPA and NDA regimes to fight terrorism in J&K. pic.twitter.com/qrVWiY6y49

— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) June 22, 2018

However, other Twitter users accused him of leaving out data from the previous years where the government was run by the Congress-led UPA.

Hon'ble Minister of Disinformation & Technology, such a lame attempt to cover up the failures of the PDP-BJP government with selective data. Here is the full "story of efforts made during UPA and NDA regimes to fight terrorism". pic.twitter.com/domvxbfJyk

— Amitabh Dubey (@dubeyamitabh) June 23, 2018

Data By South Asia Terrorism Portal, a website, which uses media reports as a source of information, provides data on militant killings in the state of Jammu & Kashmir in 2018. This number is different than the number given by the officer.

Recently, Northern Army Commander Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda, who is considered the face of the surgical strike, said that politicians are using military forces as a tool and they are helpless to take action against them “The military leadership must guard against becoming a tool in the hands of politicians. We can’t take military action to suit someone politically.”

If the government tries to present counter-terrorism operations as a competition with the previous regime, it maligns the bravery and the memory of those Indians, security personnel or civilians, who lost their lives during these incidents. This notion of using the nation’s military as a propaganda tool is inherently wrong. Obviously, sustained efforts are needed to significantly reduce the number of terror-related incidents and the loss of lives in the state.

Also Read: Fact-Check: No. Of Army Men Martyred During UPA & NDA Govt In Jammu & Kashmir