By Amresh Srivastava

New Delhi, Apr 25 (IANS): Grenade, hit & run attacks and incidents of standoff firing have increased in the Kashmir valley from January 1 to April 15 this year, officials in the security forces said here.

They said that encounters with terrorists have also increased during this period.

According to the official data, there were 17 grenade attacks by the terrorists till April 15 this year while there were only nine attacks in 2021 during the same period.

Similarly, the incidents of standoff firing and hit and run attacks also increased from five in 2021 to 26 during the above period.

As far as the recovery of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Device) is concerned, three IEDs were recovered in the last year while two have been found this year till April 15, with the latest recovery on April 13 in Doda in Kashmir valley. However, the number of encounters with terrorists have increased substantially. There were nine encounters from January 1 to April 15 last year whereas there were 34 during the same period this year.

Officials also said that a case of abduction was reported in this period in 2022 which was nil in 2021. Also, like the previous year, no case of arms snatching was reported in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to CRPF officials, 52 terrorists have been neutralised in this period, with four of them being killed on April 14 in Shopian in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to officials of the security forces, four terrorists of the proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed in an encounter with security forces at Badigam, Zainapora area of Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district.

There were 31 violent incidents against the security forces recorded in the period from January 1 to April 15.

On April 22 morning in Sunjwan area of Jammu two Jaish-e- Muhammad ultras opened fire and lobbed grenade at a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) bus killing one ASI and injuring several CISF personnel.

Later the two JeM ultras were neutralised by the security forces.