Security forces were engaging more foreign militants during encounters in Kashmir because the number of local militants has dropped, according to Lieutenant General D.P. Pandey, General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the Army’s 15 Corps.
“A majority of foreign militants were staying quiet and pushing local youth at the forefront to carry out attacks. Of late, the number of local militants has gone down significantly and the foreigners were feeling compelled to come out of their hideouts. This is why security forces were able to establish contacts [during encounters],” he said.
Lt. General Pandey, who has been assigned a new job, flagged the issue of recovery of valid Aadhaar cards from two foreigners killed in a recent encounter. “This indeed is a challenge. If a person [foreign militant] comes out during a live encounter, having a valid Aadhaar card, it is difficult to challenge him,” he stated. He reiterated that infiltration had dropped since the agreement between India and Pakistan in 2020.
