Kashmir sees 31% rise in terrorrelated deaths a year after surgical strike
There has been a 31% increase in deaths due to terrorist-related incidents in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) in one year since the Indian Army conducted what are called “surgical strikes” in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), according to an IndiaSpend analysis of data from the South Asian Terrorism Portal (SATP) run by the New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management, a non-profit. The increase in terrorist-related deaths from 246 in 2015-16 to 323 in 201617 (till September 24, 2017) indicate that terrorist attacks and infiltration in J&K continue unabated a year after the surgical strikes. This comes even as Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat hinted that more surgical strikes could be mounted “if necessary”.
“The strike was a message we wanted to communicate to them, and they have understood what we mean,� Rawat was quoted as saying in Mint on September 25, 2017. He said terrorists keep infiltrating into India because their camps remain operational in PoK.