Like preceding years, the year 2016 also turned out to be a blood-drenching year for the people of Kashmir. The year witnessed the killing of 371 people including 144 militants, 63 Army men, 11 CRPF, 18 policemen, 8 BSF and one SSB man. All but 126 civilians lost their lives this year in different incidents of violence. Most of these civilians fell to the bullets of Indian armed forces personnel. All but 195 persons including hundred local and non-local militants were killed in the year 2015. Militancy related incidents had claimed 220 lives in 2014.The graph of violence witnessed an upward trend this year particularly after the killing the popular militant commander Burhan Wani this year in July. Among the 195 total killings in the year 2015, 100 were militants, 12 Policemen, 41 Civilians, 35 Army men, 5 BSF personnel and 2 were CRPF personnel while in 2014 among the total 220 killings, 106 were militants, 17 Policemen, 52 Civilians, 39 Army men, 4 BSF personnel and 2 CRPF Jawans.This year security agencies managed to neutralize some top notch militants including the Hizb poster boy Burhan Wani.
Among the top militant commanders who lost their lives in different gun fights with Indian armed forces included Sajad Ahmed alias Shada, Hizb commander Shariq Ahmed Bhat, Mushtaq Ahmed Haroo of Pushwara Khanabal, Pakistani militant commander Abu Usman alias Zarar, Cop turned militant Mufeed Bashir of Zadoora, Adil Ahmad of Banderpora, Pulwama, Asif Ahmed from Dadsara, Ishaq Ahmed alias Newton from Laribal Tral, Ashiq Ahmed from Chersoo, Hizb commander Dawood Sheikh of Reshipora Qaimou Kulgam, Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Abu Oshaka, Bilal Ahmed Bhat of Karimabad, cop turned militant Naseer Ahmed Pandit and his associate Waseem Ahmed Malla, Ishfaq Dar of Dogripora, Ishfaq Baba of Tahab and Haseeb Ahmed Pala of Bandana Sangam and others.This year at least 101 security personnel including 63 Armymen fall to the bullets of militants while last year the security casualties were only 54 including 35 Army personnel. At least 19Army men were killed in a fierce gunfight in Uri in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district in September this year while Army also suffered causalities in February when militants entered into the EDI building in saffron town Pampore. Army Captains Tushar Mahajan and Pawan Kumar and an Army soldier Om Prakash were killed in the fierce gun battle.(CNS)