Monday, May 1 2006 13:56 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Doda (J&K): Pro-Pakistan outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba, comprising mercenaries mainly from Afghanistan and Pakistan, has emerged as a major perpetrator of massacres, mostly on Hindu minority community, in Jammu and Kashmir.

The mercenary outfit has engineered 17 massacres, killing 270 Hindus, in the past 10 years of militancy in thestate, top security officials say.

The ruthless killings have spread terror, particularly among minority community members in Doda, Rajouri, Poonch and Udhampur districts of Jammu division. LeT, mostly operating in vast, rugged and dense forest areas of Doda, uses brutal methods to kill people, they say.

Lashkar has over 350 militants operating in Doda district and 90 per cent of them are mercenaries. They have suicide squads, known as 'fidayeens and they comprise 60 per cent Afghanis, 30 per cent Pakistanis and the rest fromother countries, the officials say.

Eight such massacres were carried out by the outfit in Doda, four in Kashmir valley, two in Anantnag and one each in Udhampur and Rajouri districts, according to the officials.

In Doda, Lashkar killed 150 Hindus, including eight Village Defence Committee members, followed by 85 Hindus in Kashmir, 27 in Udhampur and eight in Rajouri. Over 150 people were also injured in the attacks in these areas.

As many as 22 Hindus were killed in Doda district by the LeT militants today.

LeT's first massacre was on January 5, 1996, in which16 Hindus were killed in Barshalla village of Doda, followed by 17 Hindus in Sumber area of the same district and 25 Kashmiri pandits in Wundhama, Srinagar on January 25-26, 1997.

It was followed by killing of eight Hindus in Swari (Rajouri) on June 24, 1997 and 25 in Chapnari (Doda) on June 19, 1998. Thirty-five labourers were killed in Kalaban, bordering Doda and Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh onAugust 8, 1998, 27 at Prankote (Doda) on April 18, 1998 and 15at Layata in Doda on July 19, 1999.