If Salahuddin tries to infiltrate, he’ll be killed: Army chief

NEW DELHI - Stating that some 40 militants who had crossed into Kashmir were killed in the last two months, Indian Army chief General V.K. Singh Monday said that Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin would be “dealt in the same way as his accomplices” if he tries to infiltrate from Pakistan.

“In the last two months, we have had some 20-25 attempts and the total number of terrorists killed during this period is about 35-40,” Singh told reporters here.

Asked about Salahuddin, a Kashmiri militant commander who has been living in Pakistan-administered Kashmir for the past nearly 20 years, the army chief said: “Salahuddin is on the other side. We are not worried with whom he goes around. If he tries to infiltrate, he would also be dealt in the same way his accomplices are.”

There were reports that the Hizbul Mujahideen chief, who also heads jihadi conglomerate United Jihad Council, has in recent times been visiting militant camps on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control to encourage terrorists to fight in Kashmir amid the heightened tensions in the valley.

Gen. Singh said the incursion of militants “has been controlled to a large extent”.

“There have been many attempts to infiltrate and we have achieved a lot of success also in this regard,” he said.