NEW DELHI: The security forces have killed 800 terroristssince 2014, of which 249 were in 2018, the Centre told the Parliament onWednesday.

In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha,Minister of State in the Defence Ministry Shripad Naik said 104 terrorists werekilled in 2014, 97 in 2015, 140 in 2016 and 210 in 2017.

"The security forces are combating the terrorists'activities, both along the Line of Control by eliminating the infiltration bidsand in hinterland by carrying out counter-terrorist operations and respondingto terrorist-initiated incidents," Naik said. The minister said sustainedoperations conducted by the security forces "have resulted in (the)elimination of (a) large number of terrorists".

Replying to a separate question, Naik said firm and decisiveresponse was given by the Army to the ceasefire violations on theIndia-Pakistan border. In March, April and May, he said 267, 234, 221 cases ofceasefire violations were reported, respectively.

In a response to another question on whether the UnitedStates had approved the sale of armed drones to India, Naik said: "This isa continuous process undertaken through procurement from various indigenous aswell as foreign sources.

Highest priority is accorded to optimally equip the armedforces and keep them in a state of readiness."Based on threat assessmentand security imperatives, the minister said, the government constantly reviewthe national security scenario and take steps to induct appropriate defenceequipment to meet the security challenges and operational requirements.