One militant “commander” of the Hizbul Mujahideen was killed in an encounter in south Kashmir’s Kulgam on Saturday.
A police spokesperson said the militant was encircled during a search operation in the Ashumji area and “was offered to surrender”.
“One militant was killed after he opened fire on the security forces,” the spokesperson.
The police identified the deceased as “Mudasir Wagay, the newly appointed district commander of the Hizb”.
The police said security forces also ensured the safety of civilians near the encounter site. “The civilians were rescued and shifted to safer places,” the police said.
The police said Wagay was an “A+ category” militant and had been active since 2018.
“He was figuring among the list of most wanted terrorists. He was part of groups involved in several terror crimes, including attacks on security forces, and civilian atrocities. He was also involved in the killing of a political worker, Ghulam Hassan Lone, in the Devsar area of Kulgam,” the police said.
Moreover, the Insas rifle recovered from deceased was the same as was snatched by terrorists in 2017 at Pombai during an attack on a bank vehicle, the police said.
