War against militancy not fully over: Jammu and Kashmir police chief

Srinagar: The war against militancy in Jammu and Kashmir is not fully over yet and security forces may be suffering losses, but will not back down from the fight, the Union Territory's Director General of Police R R Swain said here on Monday.

Swain was talking to reporters after paying obeisance at Srinagar's Chatipadshai Gurdwara on the occasion of Gurpurab. The holy place is located at Rainawari in downtown Srinagar, an area once dominated by various terror groups.

"As I have said before, this war is not over yet completely. The war will only end when one side acknowledges that there is no benefit in it and it will not take them anywhere other than bloodshed," Swain said and expressed hope that the misguided youngsters of the valley will shun the path of violence and join the national mainstream.

Referring to the recent killings of five Army personnel, including two officers, in the Rajouri area of the Jammu region, the police chief said "as far as the fight on our side is concerned, it is right that there has been loss and we have to move forward bearing this loss".

Having said that, he added that "we cannot go back from this war. But what we can do is ensure minimum loss to the public. And as a fighting force, we will try to minimise the loss (to the security forces)".

The DGP, however, reiterated that they will not back away from any challenge.

Last week, five Army personnel, including two captains, were killed in an operation in Rajouri. Two militants, including an Afghanistan-trained commander, were also gunned down in the operation. Initially, it was mentioned that the slain ultras belonged to proscribed terror outfit Lashker-e-Taiba but later, they turned out to be from Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Swain was also asked about reports of increased attempts of infiltration from across the borer from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). "With snowfall, the infiltration will decrease at some places and increase at some places. It is a matter of strategy and cannot be discussed in public," the police chief said.