Kokerang operation hasn’t disturbed the peace in area, says J&K Police chief

The Kokernag encounter had left four security personnel and two Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants dead. A Colonel, a Major, a J&K Police DySP and a constable died as terrorists hiding in the forests suddenly opened fire on them on September 13.

Pointing out that some people develop a misunderstanding that one odd operation has changed things drastically, he said that the police and security forces are chasing the remaining terrorists to root out terror from J&K.

“Our effort is to chase them (militants) in the forests and on the hills up to the place they are hiding,” the DGP said, adding that Kokernag was also one such operation “where we had gone in search of a specific terrorist”.

Saluting all those who participated in the operation, he said that Kokernag was a successful operation. “While we regret the loss suffered by us, we are also proud of our people who carried out the operation and eliminated the dreaded Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist Umair Khan who had been active in the area for long,” DGP Singh added.

DGP Singh stated that in some operations the Indian security personnel suffer a setback due to lack of proper knowledge about the terrains. “Unfortunately, sometimes when we reach there, the enemy is already waiting for us and we are not well-versed with the topography of the area,” he said.

The J&K police chief said that the most crucial part is who makes the first move. “If the militant fires first then you have to suffer the losses and if you fire first then you kill the terrorist,” he said.

The DGP mentioned that it is not a small thing that the security personnel, fully aware of the dangers involved, chase the terrorists without caring for their lives and make a contribution in killing the terrorists.

In the Kokernag operation, security forces and police used drones to target terrorist hideouts and killed two terrorists, including LeT commander Uzair Khan.