Hizbul Mujahideen militant killed in gunbattle in J&K

A self-styled district commander of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) was killed in a gunbattle with security forces in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir in the wee hours on Saturday.

Acting on a tip-off that some militants were hiding in Kaundi-Jagote forest belt in Doda district, Rashtriya Rifles troops and police launched a cordon-and-search operation.

In the ensuing gunfight, one of the oldest surviving Hizb militants identified as Azad Hussain Wani alias Waseem was killed, SP (Doda) Virender Sharma said.

A pistol, two magazines and some ammunition rounds were recovered from the scene, he said.

Wani had joined militancy in October 1998 and was involved in the killing of a carpenter, who had carved out a hideout for him in Marmat forest belt, the SP said.

The slain militant was also involved in other killings, planting of IEDs and extortion, a defence spokesman said.

He killed a territorial army jawan in September 2005. In August 2007, Wani killed his wife Mubina Begum and married another woman Najiya.

Wani was a self-styled HM commander of Doda district for the past several years, the spokesman said.

Wani's brother Atta Mohammad, also a terrorist, was killed in an encounter with security forces in 1995.