Srinagar: This year 62 militants have been killed in gunbattles in Kashmir, Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar said on Thursday.
Most of them were affiliated with the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba group. A senior police officer said the dead included 39 militants of Lashker, 15 of Jaish-e-Mohammad, six from Hizb-ul-Muajhideen and two from Al-Badr.
Among the total, 47 were local terrorists and 15 were foreigners. Another senior official said that 22 militants were killed in 13 gunfights this month.
The anti-militancy operations have been stepped up across the Kashmir Valley ahead of the annual Amarnath Yatra which is taking place physically after a gap of two years.
This year, a historic 6-8 lakh pilgrims will take part in the pilgrimage in Anantnag district. The official said 12 security men were also killed this yearÂ
