Its the final countdown: Army moves best of its men for last take down of terrorists
Army has established nearly five camps at Nagabal, Chillipura, Maitribugh, Zainpura and Larkipura besides increasing strength in existing camps in the area, the officials said.
The Army is all set to make the final push in Kashmir. The presence of the Armed forces has been increased considerably at Shopian district which is considered to be the last bastion of terrorists in South Kashmir.
A reserve battalion has been moved into the area in a bid to take down the remaining terrorists holed up in the district.
Once seen as the 'ground zero' for terrorists, who used to roam openly in the area, problems started after April this year with security forces facing resistance in entering Heff- Shirmal area in the district, they said.
Senior police, Army and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel started burning the midnight oil to overcome the crisis of controlling Shopian, which is located south of the Peer Panjal mountain range and can provide free access to terrorists to cross over to Doda, Kishtwar and Poonch area of Jammu, the officials said.
After the killing of Burhan Wani of the Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit, on July 8 last year, the district has accounted for the disappearance of over 37 youths, who are believed to have joined various militant outfits.
Officials said that after increasing the footprint, local intelligence has started flowing, resulting in encounters that saw top terrorist leadership, including the main recruiter for Hizbul Mujahideen Irfan Sheikh of Maldera and the group's financier Waseem Shah being eliminated.
CRPF
has
also
moved
in
a
reserve
battalion
comprising
nearly
1,000
men
into
Shopian.
Victor
Force,
a
counter-insurgency
unit
of
the
Army,
headed
by
Major
Gen
B
S
Raju,
and
Deputy
Inspector
General
of
Jammu
and
Kashmir
Police
(South
Kashmir)
S
P
Pani
along
with
CRPF
officer
brain
stormed
and
started
re-calibrating
their
plans
for
making
Shopian
a
terrorist-free
zone,
they
said.
Jammu and Kashmir police moved in a considerable number of its personnel to various parts of the district and its crack teams of special operation group got attached with teams of the Army and CRPF to engage in a quick operation, whenever needed, they said.
Army has established nearly five camps at Nagabal, Chillipura, Maitribugh, Zainpura and Larkipura besides increasing strength in existing camps in the area, the officials said.
The most important was the Army camp at Chillipura, which is located next to Heff-Shirmal area, as it provided a safe haven to terrorists with a natural cover being provided by the lush green forests and apple orchards.
Considered as a gateway to the Kashmir Valley for being strategically located en-route to the historical Mughal road, Shopian has at present nearly 15 active terrorists. Out of them, only Saddam and Zeenat-ul-Islam are A++ category terrorists who carry a cash reward on them.
OneIndia News