3 Hizb militants, soldier killed in Pulwama gunfight

Pulwama: Three militants including Hizbul Mujahideen commander and a solider were killed in an encounter that broke out between militants and security forces at Zadoora area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, J&K police said Saturday.
Officials said acting on a tip off about the presence of militants in Zadoora area of Pulwama, joint teams of police, army and CRPF laid a siege late night Friday. “When the security forces zeroed in on the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired at the forces triggered a gunfight. A soldier was injured in the initial exchange of firing after which he was shifted to 92 base hospital Srinagar where he succumbed,” they said.
Speaking to reporters at District Police Office Pulwama after reviewing the security in the district, Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh Saturday’s operation was clean and smooth without any collateral damage. “Unfrotunately, a soldier was also killed in the encounter,” the DGP said.
He said that at Zadoora, Pulwama, a joint operation was launched by the forces. “Three militants of including Hizbul Mujahideen commander Adil Hafeez was killed along with two of his associates Arshid of Rajpora and Rouf from Pulwama,” the J&K DGP said.
The DGP Singh said that Hizb commander Adil was first Over Ground Worker (OGW) and used to work for slain Hizb commander Zahoor Thokar, who was killed in 2018.
“It was Adil who had recruited Arshid and Rouf into militancy. The slain militants were involved in the killing of security forces and lobbing grenades at the forces,” the DGP said. Two Ak-47 and three pistols were recovered from the slain militants.
About yesterday’s Shopian encounter, in which four militants were killed, the DGP Singh said that in the gunfight, Al-Badr commander Shakoor Parray was active since long and was involved in the killing of Panch Nisar Ahmed. “The group led by him were also involved in the abduction and killing of TA solider Shakir Manzoor Wagay,” With the killing of Shakoor and his three associates, two cases that of Panch killing and TA soldiers killing stand solved. “Fifth militant was captured alive, in fact he surrender. This shows that how young boys are forced to join militancy. Had he joined militancy out of his own will, he would not have surrendered,” the DGP said.
About a query with regard to July 18 Shopian encounter, the DGP Singh said that Army is conducting the probe into the gunfight and that police too was probing the same. “Police probe is underway,” he said