By Mudassir Kuloo
Srinagar, Apr 11: So far this year, at least 102 persons have been killed in the incident across Kashmir Valley, while hundreds of civilians have got injured.
At least 29 civilians have been killed since January this year in the valley. These include the four civilians and one soldier killed during a gunfight at Kulgam on Wednesday.
In other incidents, two people were abducted in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district and later killed by the unidentified gunmen.
Around 48 militants have been killed during the period, while 12 policemen and 13 soldiers are among the government forcs’ men who lost their lives.
The year started on a deadly note as a 36-hour gunfight inside the Lethpora army camp, resulting in the killing of five CRPF personnel and three militants.
The gunfight saw Kashmiri militants taking part in a Fidayeen attack for the first time.
On January 6, an officer was among the four cops killed in a powerful IED blast at main Chowk Sopore.
Government forces on January 8 claimed to have killed a militant in a brief gunfight at Patrigam village of Chadoora town in central Kashmir’s Budgam district.
While a militant was killed in a gunfight in south Kashmir’s Kokernag area, forces shot dead a civilian in Khudwani area of Kulgam the same day.
On January 15, the government forces claimed to have killed 5 ‘fidayeen’ militants in Baramulla’s Uri area.
Besides killing two militants in a gunfight, forces on January 24, also shot dead a civilian and critically injured two teenage girls in Chaigund village of Shopian district.
One of the two critically injured girls succumbed to injuries weeks later. A 10-year-old boy, too, who was injured on January 25, by an unused shell used by the forces in the January 24 gunfight passed away on February 1.
Army shot dead two youth and injured as many on January 27 by opening fire upon them in Ganowpora village of Shopian district.
One of the injured youth in the army firing passed away a day later. While managing to free their associate from forces’ custody inside the hospital premises, militants on February 6 killed two cops who were accompanying the detained militant to government SMHS hospital for the latter’s checkup.
A 25-year-old youth, a resident of Unsoo village in Handwara, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Sopore on January 3.
On April 1, 20 people, including 13 militants, four civilians and three forces personnel were killed. Later a Kangan youth, who was injured on the day in forces action, succumbed to his injuries few days later at SK Institute of Medical Science Soura.
