Jammu and Kashmir: Hizb Commander neutralised in Doda gun battle
Jammu/UNI: Security forces on Sunday neutralised Hizbul Mujaheedin Commander in a fierce gun battle at Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir, while an Army Jawan also lost his life during the encounter.
Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone Mukesh Singh said here that late on Saturday night, a specific information was received regarding the presence of top HM commander Tahir Ahmed Bhat of Pulwama in the village Khotra in Tehsil and district Doda.
"An operation was launched and the village was cordoned by early Sunday morning by joint teams of Police, Army, CRPF and SSB," he said, adding that during search, terrorists hiding in a house opened indiscriminate fire on the Police and Army, which triggered the encounter.
"In the encounter, Tahir Ahmed Bhat was killed and an AK 47 Rifle and Magazine have been recovered," he said, adding that Tahir joined the terror outfit early in 2019.
His name has figured in the fabrication of IED, which exploded near a CRPF convoy at Banihal in March, 2019. He had subsequently visited the erstwhile Doda district and was given the task of recruiting youth and reviving HM activities in the Doda district, said the top cop.
He was also a part of the group of HM terrorists, who killed RSS activist Chanderkant Sharma and his PSO in April, 2019. The same AK 47 Rifle, which was taken away during that time, has been recovered after the encounter, Singh added.
He said with this operation, an attempt of HM to revive activities in Doda has been nipped, adding that the designs of the HM to target SF Convoy and camps has also been thwarted.
The IGP further said that Bhat was a close associate of present Operational Commander of HM outfit Saifullah alias Dr Saif and was assigned the task of 'Revival of Terrorism' in Chenab Valley by recruiting more youth from there, as the Chenab valley had got rid of militancy in the late 1990's.
The slain terrorist was directed by his mentors to target the SFs and carry out some sensitive and sensational attacks in the erstwhile Doda district to create insecurity among the people and disturb the peaceful atmosphere, said Singh.
He was complicit in several terror crimes, including attacks on Security establishments and civilian atrocities.
His killing will be a huge deterrence to the revival of Militancy in the region, added the IGP, while stating that he was involved in a lot of cases across different parts of the Union Territory.
Meanwhile, Army sources said here that an Army Jawan also attained martyrdom in the encounter.
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