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Wanted Hizbul militant killed in Kashmir gunfight

By Fayaz Wani

Srinagar, Nov 26: A most wanted militant of pro-Pakistan militant group, Hizbul Mujahideen was killed in a gunfight with Indian army personnel in South Kashmir today.

A police officer told News blaze that they received specific intelligence inputs that a top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen was present in the forest area of Tral, Pulwama in South Kashmir. "After receiving the inputs, police and army personnel launched combing operations in the forest area to flush out the militants hiding there", he said.

He said that during the operation, they came under heavy volume of fire from militants hiding in the besieged area. The fire was returned by the soldiers and in the ensuing gunfight, which lasted for nearly three hours, a top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen was killed, the police officer said.

Sources said that three militants managed to escape during the course of gunfight.

The police officer identified the slain militant as Tariq Ahanger alias Anees. "Tariq was the most wanted militant who had gone across to Pakistan for arms training in 1998 and had returned in December 2006. He was very active in the area and had taken over the reigns of Hizbul from a militant commander, who was killed in July this year", the police officer said.

He termed the killing of Tariq as a major blow to Hizbul Mujahideen in the area.

Meanwhile, militants hurled a hand grenade towards a para-military bunker at Sopore in North Kashmir district this afternoon. The grenade, however, missed the intended target and exploded on road, without causing any damage to life or loss to property.

After the blast, the para-military personnel laid siege around the area, launched combing, and search operations to flush out the militants responsible for the attack. However, no arrests were reported during the hour-long combing operation.

Fayaz Wani reports on life in Srinagar, Kashmir.