Saifullah had taken command of outfit in May I Was involved in attacks on forces

Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) chief Saifullah Islam Mir was killed in an encounter on the outskirts of the city on Sunday, the police said, describing it as a huge success for the security forces.

Mir (31), also known as Dr Saifullah and Gazi Haider, had taken command of the outfit after the killing of his predecessor Riyaz Naikoo in May this year.He was one of the most wanted militants in the Kashmir valley and involved in several attacks on the security forces, an official said.

Addressing a press conference here, Director-General of Police Dilbag Singh said Mir, a resident of Malangpora village in Pulwama district, was active since October 2014 and was associated with slain HM commander Burhan Wani for a long time.His killing is a huge success for the security forces, Singh added.

“We had a successful operation today in which a top commander (Saifullah), you can say he was the number one commander of the HM, was killed. The police chief said the security agencies were tracking the HM commander’s movement from south Kashmir towards Srinagar for the past two days.

“I congratulate the Anantnag police for tracking his movement. Earlier, the IGP, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, told the media near the encounter site that Mir’s killing was a huge success for the police and security forces. “This is not a small achievement,” he said. Recounting the events of the morning, an official said security forces launched a search operation in the Rangreth area following specific information about the presence of militants there. As the forces were conducting searches in the area, the militants fired. The forces retaliated, resulting in the encounter. He said a suspect had been taken into custody and was being questioned. — PTI

Most Wanted

DGP Dilbag Singh said Hizbul chief Saifullah Islam Mir was one of the most wanted militants in Kashmir.

Courtesy: Daily Tribune: 1st November 2020