Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Mar 6: Hizbul Mujahideen top commander, Dawood Sheikh, was killed and an Army jawan was injured in a gun battle at village Bichru in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district tonight.
The Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Kulgam and Army’s 1 and 9 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) this evening received information about presence of two militants of Hizbul Mujahideen in village Bichru of Kulgam.
As the security forces cordoned off the village, militants opened fire on them injuring one soldier. He has been removed to the 92-Base Hospital at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar where his condition is said to be stable.
Security forces had information about presence of two militants in the village but as soon as the gun battle started the residents of the area gathered near the encounter site and pelted stones at the police and Army. Reports said that this led to the fleeing of Shabir Ahmad, associate of Dawood. Security forces exercised restraint but trapped Dawood in a house after he was injured while trying to flee.
DIG South Kashmir, Nitish Kumar told Excelsior that one militant identified as Dawood Sheikh alias Chotu of Rishipora Qaimoh was killed by security forces in the gun battle.
Dawood was one of the most wanted militants in the district and was involved in several militancy related incidents. He was A+ category militant and was active for several years in South Kashmir. One AK-47 rifle was recovered from the encounter site.
The DIG said that the Dawood was involved in the killing of an Army man of 162-Territorial Army (TA), Gowhar Ahmad Matoo son of Bashir Ahmad Matoo resident of Ganjipora Kulgam on July 16, 2014. “He was also involved in the killing of National Conference worker and Panchayat member, Haji Gul Mohammad Bhat son of Abdul Gani Bhat of Wanpoh in Kulgam on May 28, 2014”, he added.
Two cases (FIR No 153/14 U/S 307, 302 RPC and 7/27 Arms Act and FIR No 95/14 U/S 307 RPC and 7/27 Arms Act) were registered against him for the killing of Matoo and Bhat.
Kumar said that the militant was also involved in the killing of Bashir Ahmad Dar, a retired Deputy Superinte-ndent of Police at Ashmujee in district Kulgam on July 15, 2015.
The two mortar cycle borne militants including Dawood, were waiting outside the Masjid when Dar came out and they fired several rounds at him from their AK-47 rifle. Dar critically wounded and was removed to the Srinagar’s SMHS hospital for treatment where he died.
This is the second success for the security forces in South Kashmir against the Hizbul Mujahideen in last four days.
On Thursday three militants of Hizbul Mujahideen were killed in a gun battle with Army’s 42 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police in Tral area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
The encounter took place in Mir Mohalla in Dadsara village of Tral. The dead militants have been identified as Aasif Yousuf of Dadsara Tral, Ishaq Parray of Laribal Tral and Aashiq Hussain of Chersoo village of Awantipora of the Hizbul Mujahideen.
Security forces this year achieved major success against militants in Kashmir killing 21 militants including 15 from LeT and 6 of Hizbul Mujahideen so far. This is highest number of militants killed in the first 65 days of the year in recent years.
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