Top Hizbul leader killed in Kashmir

The Jammu and Kashmir Special Task Force claimed it had killed a leader of the pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen in an encounter at Cheu village in southern Anantnag district of Kashmir.

On a tip-off the police was reportedly sealing off the village prior to raiding an alleged militant hideout when they saw a man running away. Challenged, he shot at the police which returned fire, killing him. He was later identified as Saifullah alias Naseeb-ud-Din, a Hizbul leader who directed the militant group’s activities in Kashmir.

Meanwhile, the All-Party Hurriyat Conference chairman Umar Farooq claimed at a Friday rally at the historic Jamia Masjid that Saifullah was killed in custody after his arrest. The Hizbul Mujahideen has declared a general strike against what it described as a custodial death of Saifullah following his arrest in Srinagar.

Meanwhile, official sources said militants fired a rocked into a security force camp, killing one and injuring another.