Most wanted Hizbul commander Riyaz Naikoo killed in Kashmir

In a major setback to militancy in Kashmir, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen operation chief Riyaz Naikoo alongwith his associate were killed in an encounter with security forces in southern Pulwama district on Wednesday.

Inspector General Police (IGP) Kashmir, Vijay Kumar while confirming the killing of Naikoo and his associate said that the operation was still underway. In January Kumar had said if they are able to kill Naikoo, Hizbul would almost be wiped out from South Kashmir.

Sources said Naikoo had come to visit his ailing mother in Beighpora village in Pulwama, when Army's 55-Rashtriya Rifles and J&K police launched a cordon-and-search search operation in the area late Tuesday night.

“Throughout the night, security forces ensured to block all the escape routes for Naikoo as he was known for breaking cordons and fleeing. Fields around Naikoo’s house and a railway track were dug up over inputs about the possibility of tunnels or an underground hideout. Early in the morning, the encounter started and by afternoon Naikoo and his associate Adil were killed,” they said.

Naikoo carried a reward of Rs 12 lakh on his head. He took over as the commander of the Hizbul after the outfit’s poster boy and commander Burhan Wani was killed in a gunfight with the security forces in Kokarnag area of Anantnag district on July 8, 2016.

Authorities suspended mobile and Internet services across Kashmir and imposed curfew in most major towns of the valley to ensure that no ugly fallout of Naikoo’s death affects the law and order situation. However, reports of stone pelting incidents were received from several parts of Pulwama and Srinagar.

In a separate encounter, three unidentified militants were killed in Shaar area of Pampore in the same district. Both the operations were launched by the security forces during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday.

The killing of Naikoo comes days after Colonel Ashutosh Sharma, the commanding officer of 21-Rashtriya Rifles, Major Anuj Sood, Naik Rajesh Kumar, Lance Naik Dinesh and J&K Police Sub-Inspector, Sageer Pathan alias Qazi were killed during an operation in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

At least 76 militants including Naikoo have been killed since January this year while nearly two dozen security personnel have also lost their lives. Under a new policy, militants who are killed are not identified and their bodies are not handed over to their families.