Kashmir will soon be 'terror-free' like Jammu: MoS Home Kishan Reddy

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, G Kishan Reddy, said that security forces have so far neutralised more than a hundred terrorists in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the region will soon be 'terror-free'. He was responding on Wednesday's deadly terror attack in Sopore where a three-year-old child was rescued by a J&K policeman while risking his life during ongoing firing by the terrorists.

The 3-year-old child was travelling with his grandfather to buy some milk when the terrorist attack a joint Naka party of Jammu and Kashmir police and 179 battalion of CRPF deployed in the Model Town area of Sopore in Baramulla district of North Kashmir. In this attack, Bashir Ahmed Khan of Sopore lost his life while a policeman rescued his grandson. A CRPF jawan was also killed in the incident.

"A three-year-old kid's grandfather was killed by terrorists and a CRPF jawan sacrificed himself to save the kid. We have so far neutralised more than a hundred terrorists. Jammu area is terror-free and Kashmir will soon follow," Reddy told reporters in Delhi, adding that the PM has instructed speeding up of development schemes in the union territory once the coronavirus outbreak recedes and lockdown is lifted.

The Minister was on a visit to Rapid Antigen Detection Testing Centers in the national capital.

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Sopore attack

Frustrated with continuous anti-terror operations been carried out by Jammu and Kashmir Police along with the Indian Army and CRPF in Kashmir Valley, the terrorists have resorted to targeting security forces and civilians in an attempt to show their dominance in the valley. In such a covert attack by a terrorist in the Sopore town, one CRPF Jawan and a civilian were killed.

"Terrorists on Wednesday morning attacked a joint Naka party of Jammu and Kashmir police and 179 battalion of CRPF deployed in Model Town area of Sopore in Baramulla district of North Kashmir. The terrorist fired indiscriminately on the joint Naka party engineering 4 CRPF personnel and a civilian," an official told Republic Media Network.

"Soon after the attack, all the five digits were rushed to the nearby hospital but one CRPF Jawan and the civilian lost their lives on way to hospital. Rest three CRPF jawans have been evacuated to 92 Base Hospital," the official added.

Civilians have been the easy target of terrorists who are trying to show their dominance in Kashmir Valley after security forces got an Upper Hand in the recent past with killing of 129 terrorists this year. In this year, the security forces in Kashmir Valley have managed to gun down more than 118 terrorists including top commanders of Jaish E Mohammad, Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar e Taiba and Ansar Ghazwat ul Hind.

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