Srinagar: Three militants were killed during an anti-terrorism operation in Shopian area of South Kashmir. The three militants were killed after repeated persuasions and even halting the operation to enable their surrender failed to yield results.
The operation began Tuesday evening at 4.00pm at Sugan area of Shopian district. It was halted at around 8.30pm by the Army’s 44 Rashtriya Rifles that was carrying out the attack. The troops decided to rope in prominent locals from the area to persuade the terrorists to surrender, officials said here.
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After cordoning off the area, the commanding officer of the 44-RR Col AK Singh and his team decided to counsel the holed up terrorists. They brought some religious leaders and prominent citizens to make an announcement on loudspeakers asking them to concede.
The Army resumed their operations at the first light of the day. It happened after the militants lobbed grenades at the people who were making appeals for surrender. In no time, the three militants were neutralised and the operation was called off, the officials said. All the three belonged to the banned Al-Badr terror organisation, they said.
The 44-RR Battalion have the maximum number of killings of militants to its credit as well as maximum surrenders. Rashtriya Rifles was carved out of the Army in the early 1990s as a specialised counter-insurgency force. The main aim of Rashtriya Rifles is to tackle terrorism in the Kashmir valley and the higher areas of Jammu region.
The 44-RR is known for its people-friendly initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir. At times they have has made pro-people gestures including frequent visits to the families of active militants. They have done so in order to persuade them to return from militancy.