Hizbul terrorist, bodyguard killed in J-K infiltration bid

A self-styled divisional commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit was killed along with his bodyguard early on Monday as security forces thwarted an infiltration attempt and a conspiracy by proscribed outfit to revive its activities in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, officials said.

While the body of Hizbul commander Muneser Hussain was recovered along with a huge cache of arms and ammunition, his bodyguard's body could not be retrieved as he managed to return to the other side of the Line of Control (LoC) in Degwar sector before falling on the ground. He is presumed dead, the officials said.

”We have been receiving inputs (about terrorists) in recent times and launched a specific operation, leading to the killing of one terrorist and injuries to another who, however, managed to return across the border. As per our records, the slain terrorist was active since 1996 and was divisional commander of Hizbul Mujahideen,” senior superintendent of police, Poonch, Vinay Sharma, told reporters.

Sharma, who was flanked by commanding officer of Army's 14 Mahar Colonel Avijit Singh, said Hussain was assigned the task to revive militancy and regroup isolated terrorists operating in the region with the intention to disturb peace and tranquillity.

”His elimination scuttled the nefarious designs of the enemy nation (to revive militancy and disturb peace). We are getting a lot of support from the civil population and are sure to make Poonch militancy free soon,” the SSP said.

Earlier in the day, Jammu-based defence PRO Lt Col Suneel Bartwal said the two infiltrating terrorists were engaged by the joint team of Army and police in Garhi Battalion area around 2 am.

”One terrorist fell down immediately while the second tried to run back to LoC, engaged and hit and was seen falling down on the ground,” the officer said.

Lt Col Bartwal said the body of one of the slain terrorists was retrieved and has been identified on the basis of police records as Hussain -- a resident of Bagyladra village of Poonch who was a self-styled divisional commander of Hizbul Mujahideen.

”In 1993, he went to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) for arms training and came back three years later. He has masterminded a number of attacks on Security Forces before returning to PoK in 1998,” the officer said.

Hussain, who has two wives and several children, was a close associate of Maulana Dawood Kashmiri, a close associate of PoK-based Hizbul supremo Syed Salauddin, he said.

”A high-level meeting of the Hizbul group took place in Islamabad, Pakistan recently to chalk out a plan to revive the outfit in the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri in J-K. Hussain along with his bodyguard was believed to have been sent with the agenda of reviving terrorism in the south of Pir-Panjal,” he said.

”Hussain is the most dreaded terrorist killed in the last 10 years in Rajouri and Poonch belt. His killing makes it evident that Pakistan is trying to send old terror veterans to motivate and recruit youth, thus making desperate attempts to revive terrorism,” Lt Col Bartwal said.

Giving details of the operation, Col Avijit Singh said the complete operation was based on intelligence of police about the likelihood of an infiltration attempt duly corroborated by military and civil intelligence agencies.

”The Army troops along with the Special Operations Group of the police had put in place multiple ambushes along the LoC, resulting in the elimination of this infiltration bid,” he said.

”Alert army troops deployed on the LoC observed a suspicious movement of a group of two individuals trying to sneak into this side. Own alert troops kept the movement of the infiltrating group under continuous observation through new generation electro-optical devices and as both the infiltrators moved into this side, the ambushes challenged them, resulting in a gunfight,” he said.

The officer said the injured terrorists managed to sneak into the forest close to the LoC, taking advantage of the thick foliage, rain and rocky outcrop but the area was immediately cordoned to prevent their escape.

A joint search operation was launched after the first light in which the body of dread terrorist Hussain was recovered along with one AK 56 rifle, one 9 mm pistol with a silencer, two hand grenades, eatables and medicines.

”The operation has once again proven the existing synergy between all security agencies operating in this area and highlights the close coordination between them. This incident also highlights Pakistan's attempts of reviving terrorism in south of Pir Panjal ranges exploiting the terror veterans,” the officer said.

He said the Army continues to remain alert on the LoC and is fully prepared to thwart any such attempts in the future too.