Kashmir: A total of 118 terrorists have been killed in the Kashmir valley this year, according to the Jammu and Kashmir Police.

Out of these, as many as 32 foreign terrorists have been gunned down, police said.

“So far, 118 terrorists including 32 foreign terrorists killed in Kashmir in the current year. Last year in 2021 total of 55 terrorists including 2 foreign terrorists were killed in the same period. Out of 118, 77 terrorists are from Pak sponsored LeT and 26 from JeM outfit,” Kashmir Zone Police tweeted.

Earlier on Monday, the security forces killed one unidentified terrorist in another encounter in the Tulibal area of Sopore town in J-K’s Baramulla district.

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir Vijay Kumar had said that seven terrorists including three Pakistanis were killed in encounters with security forces in the valley.

“An encounter began in Kupwara on Sunday. Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists from Pakistan were killed yesterday itself. Another Pakistani terrorist was gunned down early morning today (Monday). A local terrorist from Shopian, Showkat was gunned down along with him,” IGP Kashmir told ANI.

“In Pulwama, a local terrorist of LeT was gunned down. In Kulgam, a local terrorist of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and one Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist were killed. A total of seven terrorists were killed so far. Three of them were Pakistanis and four were local terrorists. Encounters concluded in Kupwara and Pulwama. Search is underway in Kulgam,” added the official.

According to Jammu and Kashmir Police, encounters also broke out between terrorists and security forces in the Chatpora area of Pulwama and in the DH Pora area in Kulgam on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Kupwara Police launched a joint anti-terrorist operation along with the Army’s 28RR on the disclosure of an arrested terrorist Showket Ahmed Sheikh.

Security forces are on alert as there have been incidents of targeted killings in Kashmir and sections of the minority community had threatened that they were preparing for mass migration if the government did not relocate them.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who was on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, had urged the people not to allow inimical forces to break the social fabric and noted that the electoral process is likely to begin in the coming months.

Rajnath Singh also made a veiled reference to Pakistan and said some forces were trying to sow seeds of hatred in the Union Territory.

He said there is a foreign conspiracy in the recent targeted killings in Jammu and Kashmir and such attempts would be foiled.