Kashmir’s longest surviving militant Najar gunned down
SRINAGAR: Abdul Qayoom Najar, one of the most dreaded and among the longest-surviving Kashmiri militants, was killed in an encounter with security forces along the Line of Control in north Kashmir’s Uri on Tuesday, police said.
Najar, 43, joined the insurgency when he was 16. Imtiyaz Hussain, the senior superintendent of police (SSP) Baramulla told HT that Najar was behind more than 50 killings, IED blasts, weapon snatchings and attacks on mobile towers.
Najar, the SSP added, is said to have joined militancy in the early 90s and had gone to Pakistan in 2015. He was returning to Kashmir to revive operations of the Hizbul Mujahideen after the militant groups top brass was neutralised by forces in recent months, he said.
“Najar was killed as security forces foiled an infiltration bid in Lachipora area near the LoC this morning,” Hussain said. He was the fifth militant to be killed in Uri since Sunday.
Police said in a press release that Najar was sent by the United Jehad Council’s commander Syed Salahudin to revive the Hizbul Mujahideen, whose commanders of north Kashmir Pervaiz Wani and Yasin Yatoo were killed recently.
Najar is said to be the perpetrator of a series of attacks on mobile towers and tower operators in 2014-15.
He was expelled from the Hizbul Mujahedeen in July 2015 after being held responsible for deaths of innocent civilians in these attacks.