Pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen received a major jolt on Sunday as security forces killed ‘operational commander’ of the outfit Muhammad Yasin Yattu, alias Mehmood Ghaznavi, and his two associates during 18-hour-long gunbattle at Awneera village in south Kashmir’s Shopian district. Two soldiers of Rashtriya Rifles were also martyred in the fierce encounter that began on Saturday evening.
Director General of Police Shesh Pal Vaid described Yattu’s killing as a ‘major success’. Yattu, 41, was one of the longest surviving terrorists with huge networking skills and experience. He had joined the terror outfit in 1997 after getting arms training in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. He was arrested but rejoined terrorist ranks in 2015 after bail.
A police spokesman said the encounter took place late on Saturday when terrorists hiding in Awneera village, about 70 kms from here, opened fire on a joint party of police, paramilitary CRPF and Army personnel. The encounter continued throughout the night and ended on Sunday afternoon after three holed up terrorists were killed. The security forces had input that top Hizbul Mujahideen leaders had assembled in the village for a meeting. “The killing of Yattu is a huge success to the forces,” Vaid said.
“During the cordon, the security forces were fired upon from a house while some terrorists attacked the forces from outside the cordoned area. This resulted into injuries to five security personnel, including an officer. Two soldiers later succumbed to injuries,” Superintendent of Police Shopian Ambarkar Shriram Dinkar said.
The martyred soldiers were identified as 25-year-old Sepoy Ilayaraja P of Kandani Sivagangai Tamil Nadu and Sepoy Gawai Sumedh Waman, 25, of Akola Maharashtra.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti paid tributes to the martyrs.
The gunfight continued for around 18 hours with intermittent lull as terrorists changed positions from one house to another during the night hours. Yattu’s two slain associates were identified as Irfanul Haq Sheikh of Shopian and Umar Majid Sheikh of Kulgam.
“They (Irfan and Umar) had joined the terror outfit last year (after the killing of Burhan Wani) and were involved in many anti-national and unlawful activities, a police spokesman said. During the heavy exchange of fire, four residential houses were blasted and razed to cinders.
A police spokesman said that while the cordon was being withdrawn on Sunday afternoon, the terrorists fired indiscriminately upon Army vehicles in which one person Mohammad Syed of Shopian was injured. He was shifted to hospital for treatment.
Hundreds of local residents marched towards the encounter site with an aim to help the holed up terrorists escape. This led to clashes between the protesters and the security personnel that left over a dozen protesters injure with pellets.
Sources said Yattu’s death is a crushing blow to Hizb outfit after the killing of Burhan Wani on July 8 last year. Yattu had taken over the affairs of the outfit as he had shifted his base from his native central Kashmir’s Budgam district to south Kashmir. He had played major role in consolidating the longest surviving homegrown outfit in south and central Kashmir, despite rebellion heralded by Zakir Musa, who has floated Ansar Ghazwatul Hind, an al Qaeda affiliate and is seeking to link Kashmir’s terrorism with global Jihad.
Yattu had gone missing in 2015 after he was repeatedly arrested by police and security forces. A rumour in his native village declared him killed along line of Control (loC) while fleeing to PoK and his family even performed his funeral prayers and related rituals. His close aides say that it was his ploy to remain out of public gaze and security radar. He worked underground for a long period till he was spotted in a video donning Army fatigue. Sources said that he took the command of Hizb outfit after Burhan Wani’s killing.
Meanwhile, two policemen and a soldier were injured in a separate gunfight in Bandipore north Kashmir on Sunday.
Meanwhile, a civilian, Imtiyaz Ahmad Mir of Hawal in Srinagar, who was injured during an explosion on Saturday evening near Budyari Chowk, Dalgate has succumbed to his injuries.
Police said that Mir was admitted at SMHS Hospital and he was referred to SKIMS Soura during wee hours for further treatment. “He succumbed to his injuries at SKIMS,” the police said.