Security forces have busted a militant hideout in Kashmir’s Sopore and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition including two Ak-47 rifles, 2,000 rounds of ammunition, wireless sets, food items, and clothing.
A joint operation was conducted by the 32 Rashtriya Rifles, Special Operation Group Rafiabad, and 92 battalion of CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) in the Dalri Forest of Baramulla District.
Army sources said that the hideout could be at least 10 years old.
Despite a strict clampdown and patrols by troops and the state police, a large number of militants have managed to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir across the Line of Control – the de facto boundary dividing Indian-controlled Kashmir and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Security agencies have set up a counter-infiltration grid in the state and have eliminated several would-be infiltrators, foiling their attempts, yet many still remain active, Dilbag Singh, Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police, said in Ocotber.
"The number of active militants [in Jammu and Kashmir] is estimated at between 200 to 300", Singh had said.
The union territories of Jammu and Kashmir have been under lockdown ever since the abrogation of Article 370, which gave the state special status under the Indian Constitution.