After eliminating 3 terrorists, J&K Police announces Hizbul wipeout in Tral

SRINAGAR: The J&K Police has announced a complete wipeout of Hizbul Mujahideen in Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district after security forces eliminated three “last surviving” HM terrorists in an encounter at Chewa Ullar on Friday.
Inspector general of police (Kashmir range) Vijay Kumar said that HM has been wiped out from Tral for the first time since the eruption of militancy in 1989. Tral now has only five active local militants – all from other outfits. Of the five, three belong to Jaish-e-Mohammad, one to Lashkar-e-Taiba and the other to Ansar Gazwatul Hind, he said.
Since 2014, after militancy re-emerged in Kashmir, Tral had hosted many top Hizbul commanders. Burhan Wani, the face of new-age terrorism in Kashmir, was killed on July 8, 2016. He was from Sharefabad area of Tral.
Apart from Wani, other top Hizbul commanders killed since 2014 included Aadil Khan, Subzar Bhat, Zakir Moosa (who was part of Hizb and who later floated Ansar Gazwatul Hind), Aaqib Molvi, Haamad Khanand Shakoor Laribal.
The three terrorists who were killed in the Chewa Ullar encounter on Friday were identifiedas Mohammad Qasim Shah alias Jugnu, Basit Ahmad Parray and Haris Manzor – all residents of Tral. Official sources said while Jugnu, a known HM terrorist, was active since 2017, the other two had joined the terror outfit in April/May this year.
Two AK-47 assault rifles were recovered from the possession of the slain terrorists.