On November 7, Police arrested two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) hybrid militants, identified as Irshad Ahmed Ganaie alias Shahid and Waseem Raja, from Watlab area of Sopore in Baramulla District, reports Daily Excelsior. Three Improvised Explosive Device (IED)s with detonators were recovered from them.
On November 7, an operative of terrorist outfit Al-Qaeda, identified as Amiruddin Khan, was arrested with a Chinese hand grenade and a pistol in Ramban District along Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, reports Daily Excelsior. He is a resident of Mashita Haora in West Bengal. He was planning to engage youth into his outfit to intensify militant activities in the otherwise peaceful district of Ramban.
On November 7, Police produced charge sheet against five persons, including three dead Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants, for abduction and murder of an Army soldier, Mohammad Sameer Malla, in Budgam District, reports Daily Excelsior. The five persons included Athar Illahi Sheikh, an Over Ground Worker (OGW) of LeT who is lodged in Kot Bhalwal Jail; Mohammad Yousuf Dar alias Kantroo, LeT ‘commander’ who was killed; Faisal Hafeez Dar, the LeT militant who was killed; Hilal Ahmad Sheikh alias Hanzullah who was killed and active Pakistani militant Ghazi Bhai alias Pathan Bhai alias Usman Bhai of LeT. An unnamed spokesman said that on March 7, 2022, Police Station Khag received a complaint about missing of one in-service Army soldier Mohammad Sameer Malla on leave and accordingly search of the missing person was started. After three days on March 10, 2022, upon specific information, dead body of the missing Army personnel was recovered who was found buried in a ditch in fields of village Labran Khag. A formal case was filed then. During the course of investigation Ather Illahi Sheikh was arrested who upon questioning admitted that he along with other four accused militants of LeT abducted Mohammad Sameer Malla and they tortured him which resulted in death of Mohammad Sameer Malla in an orchard of Labran village and buried the dead body of the victim in a ditch in nearby field. Later, three militants involved in the crime were killed in anti-militant operation in Village Malwa Kunzar on April 21-22, 2022 while 5th accused Ghazi Bhai alias Pathan is still at large.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) in its annual report, 2021-22, released on November 7 said that while the number of infiltration attempts in 2017 stood at 419 with 136 estimated infiltrations (militants who managed to cross over), the figure dropped to 73 intrusion bids with 34 militants possibly slipping into the Valley, reports Daily Excelsior. It also said that the Government of India has initiated series of steps to contain cross-border infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir even as it maintained that ongoing militancy in the Union Territory was linked with infiltration of militants from across the Line of Control (LoC) as well as International Border (IB). Stating this in its annual report for 2021-22, the UMHA listed the steps taken to contain militancy as strengthening of border infrastructure, multi-tiered deployment along IB/LoC and near ever changing infiltration routes, construction/maintenance of border fencing, culverts and bridges on nallahs, improved technology, weapons and equipments for security forces, installation of floodlights on IB and synergizing intelligence flow. “Pro-active action is being taken against the militants within Jammu and Kashmir,” the UMHA said.