Anantnag: The killing of six terrorists, including two A-category terrorists, in twin encounters in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district has dealt a big blow to terrorist outfits, particularly the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and its leadership.

Addressing a press conference in Anantnag, DIG south Kashmir, Javid Iqbal Matoo said the six terrorists were all members of HM and were killed in the encounters that took place in Chinagam and Modergam areas.

Brigadier Prithvi Raj Chauhan, Commander 1 Sector RR, told the media persons that four HM terrorists were killed in the Chinagam encounter that lasted for 24 hours. He said that a hideout was made in a house where the terrorists had been hiding for a long time. Around 6 kg of IED was recovered from the spot, but it was damaged on the spot.

Meanwhile, Brigadier Anirudh Chauhan, Commander 2 Sector RR, said that two HM terrorists were killed in the Modergam area of Kulgam. He identified one of the killed terrorists as Adil Hussain Wani, an A-category terrorist who had been active since 2021. Wani was a resident of Kutpora Shopian.

He said, “The success of the operation came after months of tracking the movement of the HM terrorist group by the Army and police. On July 6, they received input about terrorists hiding in a house on the Kulgam-Shopian border. The house was encircled, and there was no chance for the terrorists to escape. Two HM terrorists, including top commander Adil Hussain Wani, were eliminated in the operation.”

Both commanders termed the killing of six Hizbul terrorists as a big blow to the terror outfit and its leadership. They credited the success to the people of Kulgam for their help in the fight against terrorism. The commanders said that terrorist organisations in Jammu and Kashmir have no leaders left in the region.

‘Bunker’ Behind Fake Cupboard

Four Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists who were shot dead in an encounter on Saturday night at Chinnigam used to stay in a hideout at Chinnigam Frisal in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district.

“They had created a bunker inside an almirah,” said an official, adding the involvement of locals for sheltering the terrorists is being investigated.

Two soldiers of the Indian Army were killed in action in the operation, while a total of six Hizbul terrorists were shot dead in separate encounters in south Kashmir’s Kulgam.

Four Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists who were shot dead in an encounter on Saturday night at Chinnigam used to stay in a hideout at Chinnigam Frisal in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district.

“They had created a bunker inside an almirah,” said an official, adding the involvement of locals for sheltering the terrorists is being investigated.

Two soldiers of the Indian Army were killed in action in the operation, while a total of six Hizbul terrorists were shot dead in separate encounters in south Kashmir’s Kulgam.

“In the first encounter in Madergam, a soldier was killed in action. In the second encounter in Chinigam in Kulgam, four terrorists were shot dead. A soldier was also killed in action,” Inspector General of Police VK Birdi told NDTV.

According to him, all the killed terrorists were affiliated to the Hizbul Mujahideen. “One of them was the local commander of the Hizbul,” he said.

The four terrorists shot dead in Chinigam have been identified as Yawar Bashir Dar, Zahid Ahmad Dar, Tawheed Ahmad Rather and Shakeel ah Wani. The two killed in Madergam have been identified as Faisal and Adil.

Para commando and Lance Naik Pradeep Nain was killed in action in Modergam; Havaldar Raj Kumar of 1 Rashtriya Rifles was killed in action in Chanigam village in Frisal area.

Although both encounters were reported from the interiors of Kulgam, security officials have reviewed the situation in view of the Amarnath yatra.

“The encounter sites were in the interiors of Kulgam and were away from the national highway. The police and other agencies are keeping a close watch. This success is a result of that,” an official said.

(With Inputs From Agencies)