The Jammu and Kashmir police on Monday claimed that militant outfits Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) have been rooted out of the Jammu region. The focus, they said, has now shifted to the Lashkar-e- Tayyeba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), who remain active.

“HuJI and JeM were mostly active in Kishtwar district and have been wiped out. Out of four HuJI militants, three have been eliminated. The fourth has left the organisation and is now working as a freelance journalist,” said Ashok Gupta, IGP of Jammu Zone.

Nearly 180 militants, including 21 women, are still working in Doda and Kishtwar districts, Gupta said.

“We worked on a strategy for winters and eliminated more and more militants as they came down from the hills. With the support of civilians, we were able to target militants, particularly commanders,” he said.

This year, 17 militants have been killed in Jammu, of whom 10 were HM commanders, the IGP claimed.