After a protracted clash between security forces and militants in Indian-administered Kashmir, Lone Mohalla in Rawalpindi village in Shopian district in south Kashmir has seen a pile of ash houses, half-burnt clothes and charred cattle.
- In the same settlement, local militant Wilayat Lone alias Sajjad Afghani was killed along with his colleague Jahangir Ahmed after a three-day bloody clash with the forces. Many residential houses, village houses and other properties were reduced to ashes during the clash.
Vijay Kumar, a senior police officer, described Wilayat's death as a major victory for the forces. This is the first time in the last few years that an operation against two armed militants lasted for three days, during which police, army and paramilitary forces laid siege to a large area.
Police sources told the BBC that the siege was carried out after receiving a tip-off about the presence of Wilayat Lone in his ancestral home.
Inspector General Vijay Kumar claimed that the beleagured militants were offered to surrender several times immediately after the siege, but they opened fire on the forces, sparking a fierce clash.
Ghulam Mohammad's house is also among the five houses destroyed in the military operation. He says: 'While saving our lives, all 13 people in our house hid in the kitchen and our ears were pierced by the sound of bullets and mortar shells throughout the night. When the situation worsened, the army and police evacuated us the next morning and shifted us to another house.
Ghulam Mohammad says at least half a dozen houses have been reduced to ashes, including Wilayat Lone's house. According to police, Wilayat Lone has been active in the armed forces for the past three years.
Police say Wilayat first became associated with Jaish-e-Muhammad and later with Lashkar-e-Taiba. According to police officer Vijay Kumar, Wilayat was a wanted militant for the forces.
Ghulam Mohammad said his two-storey house and village house were completely destroyed, while four sheep and a cow were also burnt in the mortar fire.
Ghulam Mohammad, who was trapped in the same room with his parents, wife, three children and other members of the family during the night firing, says: 'It took us a while and we will all burn to death. Then we called DC Sahib and SP Sahib, thankfully they picked up the phone and with the help of army and police got us out of the house during the clash.
After several people were injured in the clash, local police to disperse the anti-government protests and protesters used tears gas and iron shrapnel as a result.
Hundreds of homes have been destroyed in clashes between armed militants and forces over the past 30 years. Tajuddin, a businessman living in Shopian, said the government often does not compensate for the damage done to civilian property in such clashes.
It should be noted that according to the data released by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs in Parliament recently, the level of armed violence in Indian-administered Kashmir has declined, but Jammu and Kashmir Police Chief Dilbagh Singh says that now There are also at least 200 armed militants active in Kashmir. Police, meanwhile, have declared several militants active in Srinagar notorious criminals and announced cash rewards on their heads.
Last month, however, Indian and Pakistani forces agreed to strictly enforce the ceasefire agreement on the Line of Control. This is the first time in many years that there have been no reports of violence on the LoC for three weeks.
But senior army and police officials have repeatedly said the ceasefire is not related to the internal security situation. From these announcements, observers have concluded that tensions on the border between India and Pakistan will ease this year, but the internal situation remains tense
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