JOIN USTop Hizb leader, 7 ultras killed in encounters
Top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Sabzar Ahmad Bhat and seven militants were killed in separate encounters across Kashmir on Saturday.
Sabzar was a close associate of slain Hizb commander Burhan Wani, and was named his successor.
Sabzar and his associate, Faizan, were killed in an encounter in Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Saturday morning. A source said security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Soimoh village, 36 km from here, on Friday night after militants opened fire at a patrol party of the 42 Rashtriya Rifles.
“As the search party was closing in on the house where the militants were hiding, the ultras opened fire, triggering an encounter,” a source said.
Reinforcements were rushed to the area to ensure the militants don’t escape under the cover of darkness, the source added. The gunbattle resumed early in the morning and following a heavy exchange of fire between the two sides, Sabzar and Faizan were killed.
Sabzar made a phone call to his family when he got injured and asked for forgiveness. “Forgive me if I’m wrong. We have been cordoned,” the report quoted him as saying.
Faizan was a teenager and had joined the outfit recently. Another source said that a third militant, a foreigner, escaped.
As soon as the news spread to neighbouring villages, several people marched to the site and threw stones at the security forces. A civilian was killed and more than 30 others were injured in the subsequent clashes, reports said.
Inspector General Police (Kashmir) Muneer Khan said the civilian died in the crossfire between the militants and security forces.
While describing Sabzar’s encounter as a major success, the police said it is the biggest setback to the Hizbul Mujahideen since the unrest began last year. At least 100 civilians were killed in protests and clashes with security forces after Wani was killed in an encounter on July 8.
A shutdown was observed in all districts and major towns of the Valley and protests erupted across Kashmir as soon the news about Sabzar’s killing spread. Authorities suspended mobile Internet services to contain “rumours.” The Hurriyat Conference called for a two-day bandh.
Earlier, six militants were killed by the army along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rampur sector of Uri in Baramulla after they tried to infiltrate into India.
“Relentless operations by security forces have defeated desperate attempts by Pakistan and Pakistan-sponsored agents to spread terror in the state in the run up to the holy month of Ramzan,” said the defence spokesperson of the Northern Command.