Despite some sensational strikes by militants and major successes achieved by security forces, there has been a progressive decline in the number of violent incidents and persons killed in Jammu and Kashmir in the past three years.
The incidence of violence have come down by more than 50 per cent, according to official figures.
Against 3,401 incidents of militancy-related violence in 2003, there were only 1415 such cases registered during the current year.
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While 2,716 people were killed in the militancy-related incidents in 2003, during 2005 only 1,313 people, including civilians, security forces and militants, were killed.
Last year, 2,565 incidents of violence were recorded across the state, in which 2,039 people were killed.
Security forces achieved major successes against the militants in the state, eliminating several top commanders of Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Harakat-e-Jehad-e-Islami outfits. Hizbul was the most to suffer in counter-insurgency operations as it lost top 10 commanders, including self-styled operational commander, district commanders and divisional commanders.
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While over 1,000 local militants and 470 foreign ultras were killed in 2003, the figure stood at 516 and 141 respectively for the current year. In 2004, the figures were 687 local militants and 289 for foreign ultras.
Although security forces enjoyed the upper hand against the militants, the ultras also carried out some sensational strikes across the state.
In May this year, militants triggered a car bomb in Srinagar in which two civilians were killed.
In June, the ultras carried out a similar attack in Pulwama town, killing 15 people including three CRPF jawans.
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Militants also targeted two security convoys in the heart of the summer capital with car-bombs in June and July, when 13 jawans were killed.
About 173 army jawans and officers were killed this year as against 384 killed in 2003. 330 army personnel lost their lives in 2004.
Civilians also got a reprieve from the violence during the current year as staistics showed that the number of militancy-related deaths fell by nearly 50 per cent compared to last year.
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