The Indian Army said that its operation against the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in Jammu-Kashmir has been so effective that no one now wants to take up the group’s leadership in the Valley.
Addressing a joint press conference of the state police and the Army on Wednesday, Lieutenant General KJS Dhillon, GOC 15 Corps, said that 25 of the 41 terrorists killed since the 14 February Pulwama terror attack were members of Pakistan-based JeM.
“Post Pulwama 41 terrorists have been killed. Out of them 25 belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammed and 13 of them were Pakistanis,” Lt Gen Dhillon said.
“We have targeted JeM leadership. The situation now is that no one is coming forward to take over the leadership of JeM in the valley. Even after Pakistan’s best efforts, we will continue to suppress JeM, especially after Pulwama,” he said.
The Army commander added that a total of 69 terrorists have been killed and 12 have been apprehended this year.
“Operations against the terrorists will continue with full vigour and we will not let terrorism rise up,” Lt Gen Dhillon said.
The crackdown on terrorists in the Valley has also brought down the recruitment of local Kashmiri people in terror outfits.
J-K DGP Dilbag Singh said, “Recruitment of local youth continues to be low. It is a healthy sign. 272 terrorists were eliminated in the state during 2018 and a large number were apprehended.”