KL News Network
SRINAGAR
Kashmir witnessed nearly doubling the number of soldier getting killed in 2016, media reports from Delhi suggest. While the numbers of killings of soldiers has not varied greatly, the LoC tensions have increased the fatalities phenomenally.
With the killing of three soldiers in hit-and-run attack by the militants on Saturday in Pampore, the number of soldiers who were killed in Kashmir this year has reached 63. A significant number of them were killed on LoC, mostly after the tensions surged in wake of attack on army base in Uri.
By December 16, reports said that as many as 23 soldiers were killed at various places on LoC. Army’s fatalities at the LoC were as low as five in 2014 and four in 2015.
However, the number of soldier killings remained almost static over the last three years. It was 27 in 2014, 29 killings in 2015 and so far 40 in 2016. These included the three soldiers who were killed in an ambush on Saturday in Pampore. A few soldiers survived injured in the attack.
The major attacks that took a heavy toll included the attack on Uri base and, very recently, in Nagrota.
But data being available about the overall security situation suggest that the numbers have increased throughout – from infiltration to the militant casualties. Overall losses to the security grid – involving the paramilitary and police, were put at 74 which is higher if compared to 2015 when only 41 members of the grid were killed.
Even the number of slain militants has gone up. Against 97 militants being killed in 2015, the ongoing 2016 has already witnessed 148 militant killings. These included some of the new recruits who joined militancy during unrest.
Recent media reports suggested that against 35 militants who had infiltrated into J&K in 2015, this year witnessed nearly 116 infiltration.
