Hizb IED expert, solider killed in Doda encounter
JAMMU:A top Hizbul Mujahideen commander, an IED expert and wanted in the killing of a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh functionary and his security officer, was killed in a gunfight with forces in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.
A soldier of 10 Rashtriya Rifles was also killed in the five-hour encounter in the Gundana area of the district.
Following the killing of Riyaz Naikoo, Hizbul’s operational chief of J&K, the elimination of Tahir Ahmed Bhat is another major setback for the terror outfit, Jammu Zone inspector general of police, Mukesh Singh, told reporters.
Acting on a specific input, a cordon was laid in the area where terrorists were hiding. The terrorists, holed up in a house, opened fire, resulting in an encounter in which Bhat was eliminated.
“We have recovered the body of Bhat, a resident of Malangpora village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. The deceased was a close associate of newly appointed Hizbul operational chief Saifullah and was assigned the task of reviving terrorism in the Chenab valley region,” said the IG. He said the slain terrorist was also part of the group which shot dead an RSS functionary Chanderkant Sharma along with his personal security officer in nearby Kishtwar district in April last year.
“Bhat joined the terror outfit early last year. His name had figured in the fabrication of IED which exploded near a CRPF convoy at Banihal in March 2019. He had subsequently visited
Chenab Valley and was directed by his mentors to target the security forces and carry out some “sensitive and sensational” attacks,” said the IG.
The senior police official said the AK assault rifle, which was seized from the dead terrorist, was the same which had been taken away by militants after killing the RSS functionary. Doda district police chief Mumtaz Ahmad said. “We suspect two terrorists have been killed but cannot confirm till entire debris is removed.”