New Delhi, May 17: In a major ongoing operation, Army, using MI-17 helicopters as gunships and mountain artillery, has killed about 65 Pakistani mercenaries in over six weeks to clear a vast area near the Line of Control in Surankote area of Jammu and Kashmir where jehadis had set up command centres. Army officials said Pakistani groups like Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Al Badr and Hizbul Mujahideen of the Masood faction had over a period of time set up fortifications in the dense forest areas and had been using these bases to facilitate militant infiltration into Jammu district and Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama areas of Kashmir Valley. The Army, in a major operation, which started in the first week of April, launched an attack to destroy these bases and even convert some of them into Rashtriya Rifles fortifications. The area in the shape of a bulge protrudes into the Indian territory and militants were calling it a liberated zone. Officials said full details about the operation would be given next week but said a large number of militants including hardened jehadis had been captured.
The forces have recovered a large number of medium machine guns, mortars and highly sophisticated communication equipment.
The area known as Hill Kaka, comes under the Surankote assembly constituency and the region is the stronghold of former state minister Chaudharhy Mohammad Aslam, who, however, lost the last polls as militants did not allow people to cast their votes. Bureau Report