Srinagar, January 16
The security forces achieved a major success today when they gunned down two top militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen, one of them a Deputy Supreme Commander, in an encounter at Lawaypora on the outskirts of Srinagar.
Elsewhere, at least three persons including two militants, one of them Deputy Commander of the Al-Badr, were killed in separate incidents in Kashmir valley since yesterday. The security forces also averted major tragedies with the recovery of 15 kg of RDX and two IEDs here today during stepped up search operations ahead of the Republic Day celebrations.
A major success was achieved when the security forces killed two top militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen, both of them locals, in an encounter at Umarabad Colony. One of them was identified as Ghulam Rasool Dar alias Ghazi Naseerudin, Deputy Supreme Commander and Chief Operational Commander for Jammu and Kashmir. His associate was identified as Fayaz Ahmad Dar alias Zubair alias Abid, Chief Financial Controller and Publicity Chief of Hizbul Mujahideen. Two AK rifles, a wireless set and some incriminating documents were recovered from the site of the encounter. They were involved in a number of killings of security forces personnel, police and civilians and were wanted in a number of cases registered against them, the police here said.
Ghulam Rasool Dar was the second in command of the
outfit after Supreme Commander Syed Salahuddin, who is based in Pakistan.
A pioneer in the field of armed struggle in the valley, Rasool Dar was the most wanted ultra.
This was the second major setback to the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit here since yesterday, when its Deputy Operational Chief for Jammu and Kashmir, Abbas Malik alias Abbas Illahi was killed in an encounter with a joint party of the police and Border Security Force (BSF) at the Tengpora bypass. A cash amount of Rs 12,12,480 in Indian currency, a satellite phone, a computer and an audio cassette were recovered from the site of the encounter.
