Wani’s successor killed in encounter
Civilians, armed forces clash; Kashmir on the boil
Sabzar Ahmed Bhat, a top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed on Saturday along with an accomplice in a fierce firefight with security forces in Kashmir’s southern Tral region.
Officials in Srinagar said that the firefight in Tral’s Soimoh village began after security forces launched an operation to flush out militants who had, on Friday evening, targeted an Army patrol.
Several parts of the Valley erupted after news of Bhat’s killing broke, resulting in clashes between people and security forces in which one person was killed and scores of others injured.
Reports said that on hearing of Bhat’s killing, students of various educational institutions across the Valley left their classes midway and took to the streets yelling pro-freedom slogans.
Bhat had succeeded Burhan Wani, the popular, Internet-savvy commander of Kashmir’s frontline indigenous militant outfit whose killing by security forces on July 8 last year had pushed the Kashmir Valley into its worst turmoil in decades that lasted over five months.
Clashes between irate crowds and the security forces were also reported from the encounter site in Tral’s Soimoh village in which one person, identified as Moulvi Aaqib, was killed and 19 others injured.
Police said that Moulvi Aaqib got caught in the crossfire between terrorists and security forces. Locals, however, insisted that he was shot by security forces during protests.
Bhat had succeeded Burhan Wani, the popular, Internetsavvy commander of Hizbul whose killing by security forces on July 8 last year had pushed the Valley into its worst turmoil in decades.
J&K’s director general of police, Shesh Paul Ved, confirmed that Sabzar Ahmed Bhat, a top commander of Hizb-ulMujahideen, was killed on Saturday along with an accomplice.
The other slain terrorist has been identified as Faizan Muzaffar, a teenager who had joined the Hizb ranks recently. A third militant said to be the Hizb’s Aadil Ahmed was also reportedly with Bhat when the encounter started, but his fate is not known.
A statement issued by the J&K police here said that on Friday evening a patrol party of the Army’s 42 Rashtriya Rifles came under terrorist fire at Hurdimir, outside Soimoh village of Tral. “Fire was returned and the terrorists took shelter in nearby houses,” it said, adding that subsequently a cordon-and-search operation was launched jointly by the J&K police’s counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG), 42 Rashtriya Rifles and 180 Battalion of the CRPF.
“The terrorists hiding in the houses again opened fire on the joint team, triggering an encounter,” the statement said.
Media persons were denied access to the encounter site in Tral, reports said. “We were not allowed to go close to the encounter site by the security forces. Tral is very tense and people are out on the streets chanting slogans in praise of Sabzar and for freedom,” said Zubair Ahmed Dar, a reporter, over the phone from Tral.