HM div comdr killed in Sopore

Fayaz Bukhari

SRINAGAR, Feb 16: In a major success against militants in North Kashmir, security forces today killed divisional commander of Hizbul Mujahideen in an encounter in Sopore.
A police spokesman said that acting on a tip off, last night Sopore Police and 22 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) of Army launched a cordon and search operation in Bhat Mohalla, Seeloo in Sopore in North Kashmir.
The spokesman said that a search party was fired upon by the militant and the fire was returned in which the commander was killed.
Sources said that cordoned of the village was laid at around 2 a.m. and around 4 a.m. the militant commander after seeing himself in a security cordoned fled from the house in which he was hiding towards nearby orchard by firing at security forces. The security forces retaliated killing him on the spot.
Police identified the militant as divisional commander of HM for North Kashmir, Mohammad Shafi Sheikh alias Shafi Peer alias Rashid of Zaloora Sopore. “One Pistol with eight rounds and a grenade was recovered from the site of the encounter”, the spokesman added.
The spokesman said that the militant commander was involved in number of cop killings including killing of police constable Mohammad Shafi Lone at Lathishat Sopore, SPO Altaf Ahmad at Adipora Sopore, Head constable Mohammad Yousuf of CID Sopore, killing of 2 CRPF personnel in Pattan and snatching their service rifles in 2010.
The spokesman said that he was an IED expert and was involved in a number of IED blasts including the blast at Police Station Sopore in 2011 in which one Selection grade constable, Morifat Hussain, was killed.
Sources said that the militant commander went across to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) for arms training in 1995 and returned back in 1998. He was active in North Kashmir before he was arrested in 2003. He was released in 2004 and re-arrested in 2006. He was released in 2008 and was actively involved in the militancy since then.
Sources said that he was communication commander for HM between 2001 and 2003. “He was involved in the firing on Panch Zoona Begum in 2011, killing of Sarpanch of Bomia, Habibullah Mir in 2011, Mine blast near river Jhelum in February 2013, killing of Sarpanch Ghulam Mohammad Chopan in 2011 and Sarpanch Mohammad Maqbool Bhat of Wadoora in 2011.

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