Top Hizbul, Lashkar commanders neutralised in Shopian encounter

Killers of Lt Omar Fayyaz, Huzaif Ashraf also killed in the surgical operation

Security forces in Kashmir valley Sunday achieved major success by neutralising six top commanders of two big terrorist outfits Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen in Batagund area of Kapran in Shopian. Meanwhile, one civilian was killed during protests near the encounter site and several others were injured in incidents of stone pelting and police action on the ground.

According to police, militants responsible for killing Lt Omar Fayyaz last year and decapitating 19-year-old Huzaif Ashraf were also killed in the surgical operation. Another prized catch included Umer Majid Ganai alias Hanzalla, District commander of Hizbul Mujahideen in Kulgam.

Earlier, Umer Majid had escaped from Batmaloo encounter. He had recently circulated his pix on social media showing his presence near clock tower Lal Chowk.

He along with 15 other top commanders claimed to have attended a meeting in Hazratbal last week to discuss their future strategies and recruitment process of radicalised youth.

This is the second major operation since Friday in which six terrorists were also killed by the joint team of security forces in Sekipora area of Bijbehara in Anantnag district.

According to Jammu and Kashmir police spokesman, “the killed terrorists have been identified as Mushtaq Ahmad Mir @ Hammad @ Musha son of Ghulam Hassan Mir of Cheki-Cholan Shopian, Mohammad Abbas Bhatt son of Abdul Jabbar Bhat of Cheki Mantribugh Shopian, Umar Majeed Ganaie @ Maaz @ Abu Hanzalla @ Abdul Rehman son of Abdul Majeed Ganaie of South Kulgam, Mohd Waseem Wagay @ Saifullah son of Abdul Hameed Wagay of Amshipora, Khalid Farooq Malik @Rafi @Talha of Baghander Aliyalpora Shopian and from the material evidence collected, one terrorist is learnt to be a foreigner from Pakistan”.

Police spokesman said the operation was launched on the basis of a credible input about the presence of terrorists in Batagund area of Kapran in District Shopian.

“A cordon and search operation was launched in the intervening night jointly by Police and security forces in the area”, the spokesman added.

As the searches were going on, the search party was fired upon by the terrorists. The fire was retaliated leading to a gunfight.

Initially, one jawan of 34 RR sustained injuries in the exchange of fire. He was evacuated to the hospital and is stated to be stable now. However, one Jawan identified as Nazir Ahmad of 34 RR who got grievously injured in the final phase of the encounter has succumbed and attained martyrdom.

In the ensuing encounter, six terrorists were neutralized and the bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter.

Security forces faced resistance

Soon after the operation started in the Kapran area of Shopian large number of local residents converged near the encounter site and pelted stones on security forces.

According to police, few individuals sustained injuries at the encounter site and have been evacuated to hospital for medical attention.

Incriminating materials including huge quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of encounter.

Police has also appealed local residents not to venture inside the encounter zone since such an area can prove dangerous due to stray explosive materials. People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosives materials if any.

Big success for security forces

It was a combined group of HM and LeT, as per police records.

Mushtaq Ahmad Mir @Hammad was affiliated with LeT and was operating as District commander for Shopian, while Mohd Abaas, Waseem Wagay, Umar Majeed Ganai and Khalid were with Hizbul Mujzhideen.

Mohd Abbas was known as District Commander of HM for Shopian and Umar Majed was operating as district commander of HM for Kulgam.

All the six killed terrorists were wanted by the law for their complicity in a series of terror crimes including attack on security establishments and civilian killings in the area. With their elimination, all notorious terrorists of the belt have been successfully eliminated.

As per the police records, Mushtaq Ahmad Mir @ Hammad had a long history of criminal terror crimes since 2014. He was a close associate of terrorist commander Zeenat-ul-Islam and was involved in several terror attacks on security establishments and civilian killings.

He had figured in several terror cases and the prominent among them include FIR No: 27/15 PS Zainpora u/s 307 RPC, 7/27 I.A. act dated 19 May 2015, FIR No: 133/15 U/S 392,307,511 RPC, 7/27 I.A. Act PS Shopian pertaining to the snatching of weapons from Court Complex Shopian on 09.07.2015 in which a police constable got critically injured, FIR NO: 77/2016 U/S 302, 307 RPC, 7/27 A. Act PS Heerpora pertaining to the terrorists attack on Police guard at Ramnagri Shopian on 07.10.2016 in which one constable Nazir Ahmad got martyred besides injuries to one constable & one civilian, FIR No: 119/2017 u/s 506 RPC 7/25 I A Act 38, 39 ULA (P) Act dated 01.06.2017 at PS Shopian for threatening and creating panic among the general masses of Shopian. He was also involved in lobbing of grenade at Bonbazar chowk Shopian on 11.10.2016 in which 8 civilians had sustained injuries.

Mohammad Abbas Bhatt was earlier convicted for a murder case FIR No. 82/2011 U/S 302 RPC PS Shopian and sentenced for 5 years. After his release in April 2016 he joined the terrorist ranks. He was involved in several terror related crimes and according to police records was involved in the recent spate of gruesome killings of civilians in Shopian including the decapitating of 19 year young Huzaif Ashraf. He was wanted by the law for killing of young officer trainee Lt Omar Fayaz, Advocate Imtiyaz Khan and four police personnel at Shopian in August this year and many other civilian killings in the area. Several terror cases were registered against him and the prominent ones include FIR No 32/2017 of PS Shopian u/s 342, 451, 506 RPC 7/25 I.A Act dated 04.03.2017. He along with his other associates had barged inside the residential house of locals, ransacked the household goods and threatened the inmates, FIR No: 46/2017 of PS Shopian u/s 7/27 I.A Act, 307 RPC 3 PPPD Act, 16 ULA dated 23.03.2017 pertaining to the terror attack on the police party at Hajipora, FIR No: 93/2017 of PS Shopian u/s 307 RPC 7/25 A. Act dated 09.05.2017 pertaining to the firing and attack on security forces at village Kundalan Shopian, FIR No: 94/2017 of PS Shopian u/s 302 RPC 7/27 A. Act 16 ULA (P) Act dated 10.05.2017 pertaining to the abduction and killing of young trainee officer Lt Umar Fayaz S/o Fayaz Ahmad Parray R/o Sarsoona Kulgam at Herman Shopian, FIR No: 119 /2017 of PS Shopian u/s 506 RPC, 7/25 I.A. Act, 38, 39 ULA (P) Act dated 01.06.2017 pertaining to the threatening of civilians and locals of Shopian, FIR No: 91/17 of PS Shopian u/s 7/25 I.A. ACT 39 ULA (P) ACT, FIR NO: 194/17 OF PS Shopian u/s 307 RPC 7/27 I.A. ACT 16 ULA (P) Act, FIR NO: 205/17 of PS Shopian u/s 307, 324 RPC 7/27 I.A. ACT 16 ULA(P) Act, FIR No: 213/17 of PS Shopian u/s 7/27 I.A. ACT 302 RPC, FIR No: 264/17 of PS Shopian u/s 392 RPC 7/25 I.A. ACT

Umer Majid Ganai who had escaped from Batmaloo encounter and whose photo was recently circulated on social media showing his presence near clock tower Lal chowk had figured in the killings of several policemen and civilians in the area since 2016. He was involved in Pombai Bank guard attack case in which 4 policemen and 2 banks guards had lost their lives in 2017. Several terror cases were registered against him and the prominent among them include FIR No. 96/2016 U/S 147, 148, 149, 188, 336, 332,302, 307,436, 511, 427 RPC 3 PSS Act 13 ULA (P) 3/2 PPD 7/27 A Act, FIR No. 259/2016 U/S 302, 109 RPC 7/25 Arms Act of P/S Kulgam, FIR No .119/2016 U/S 392, RPC 7/25 Arms Act of P/S Yaripora, FIR No. 58/2017 U/S 302, 392, 120-B RPC 10, 13, 18 ULA (P) Act, 7/25 Arms Act of P/S Kulgam, FIR No. 83/2017 U/S 452, 307 RPC 7/25 Arms Act of P/S Kulgam, FIR No. 187/2016 U/S 302, 307, RPC 7/25 IA Act of P/S Kulgam, FIR No. 121/2016 U/S 452,392 RPC, 30 Police Act 03 PEPO, 7/25 I A Act of P/S D.H. Pora, FIR No. 129/2016 U/S 395, 452, 30 Police Act. 7/25 I.A Act of P/S D.H. Pora, and FIR No. 106/2017 U/S 302, RPC, 7/25 Arms Act 13, ULA (P) Act OF P/S D.H. Pora.

Mohd Waseem Wagay @Saifullah was involved in several terror crimes in the area and attacks on the security establishments. He was part of a terror group involved in the killing of four police personnel in August this year at Shopian. Many terror crime cases were registered against him including FIR No 93/2017 of PS Shopian u/s 307 RPC 7/25 A. Act dated 09.05.2017 pertaining to the attack on security forces at village Kundalan Shopian, FIR No: 264/2017 of PS Shopian u/s 392 RPC, 7/25 I.A Act and FIR No: 66/2017 of PS Heerpora u/s 7/25 I.A act 13, 38 ULA.

Similarly Khalid Farooq was also involved in several terror crimes and was part of terror groups responsible for killing of security forces and civilians in the area. One Pakistani terrorist killed in today’s encounter was wanted in the gruesome killing of civilians in the area including the throat slitting video uploaded on Social media.