Top Hizbul ultra slain in J&K encounter

A top Hizbul Mujahideen militant was killed in a fierce gunbattle with security forces in which two Special Police Officers were wounded in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.

The slain militant, a self-styled divisional commander of the pro-Pakistani outfit, was identified as Mohammad Iqbal Alam alias Abu Bakar, a police spokesman said.

Involved in a number of terrorist activities in Reasi and Ramban districts in Jammu region, Bakar was a resident of Pederai in Karachi in Pakistan, he said.

Acting on a specific information that a Hizbul militant was hiding in Hanzal forest belt in Gool-Arnas sector, 130-km from Jammu, security forces cordoned off the area late on Friday night.

In the ensuing gunfight, Baker was killed, the spokesman said adding two SPOs, Mohammad Ashraf and Mohammad Mukhtiyar, were wounded.

An AK rifle, four magazines, 90 rounds, a hand grenade, a radio set, two mobile phones with sim cards, a binocular and Indian currency over Rs 23,000 were recovered from the scene.

The spokesman said Baker was operating in Gool-Arnas belt for the past eight years and was appointed as 'divisional commander' of the Hizb in 2007.

As many as 15 top self-styled commanders of different militant outfits have been killed in gunbattles with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir this year.

These included 'supreme commander' of Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami Feroz Ahmed Meghmo alias Dawood and Ayodhya attack mastermind and top Jaish-e-Mohmmad militant Abdullah Sani.