After a tranquil start to the year, Jammu and Kashmir experienced a surge in militant violence in July. The region saw eight encounters, three attacks, including one by the notorious BAT team, and three infiltration attempts. This resulted in the deaths of 14 security personnel and 13 militants. The encounters were fierce, with eight gunfights occurring in July—three in the Kashmir Valley and four in the Jammu region, particularly in the mountainous Doda district. Following the gunfights in Doda’s forest area, security forces initiated extensive combing and search operations to track down a group of 10-12 militants operating in smaller groups.
July witnessed three significant militant attacks. One attack in the Madeshi forest area of Kathua district resulted in the deaths of five soldiers. Another attack targeted the home of Shaurya Chakra awardee VDC member Purshottam Kumar in a remote Rajouri village, injuring a soldier and a relative, with the militants managing to escape. The third attack involved the BAT team attacking an Indian army post near the Line of Control in Machil sector, leading to the deaths of a soldier and a Pakistani intruder. Additionally, three infiltration attempts were made by militants, two in the Keran sector of north Kashmir and one in the Poonch sector of Jammu, all of which were foiled by troops.
The data for July indicates that 14 army personnel were killed in various encounters, attacks, and while foiling infiltration attempts. Among the casualties were a Captain and a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), with 10 soldiers dying in militancy-related violence in the Jammu region and four in the Valley. Thirteen militants were also killed in gunfights with security forces, both in the hinterland and at the Line of Control.
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