Top surrendered militant shot dead in Kashmir

Srinagar, Jun 18 (UNI) A surrendered militant was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Bandipora area of north Kashmir's Barmulla district yesterday, official sources said today.

They said Ghulam Ahmad Hurra alias 'Gamgheen', a former 'supreme commander' of the pro-government Ikhwan-ul-Muslimoon, was fired upon by suspected militants at the Bandipora main chowk yesterday, killing him on the spot. He was returning home from a market.

Hurra, a resident of Poshwari, Naidkhai in the district, was allegedly involved in a number of killings, extortion and abductions.

He was the 'supreme commander' of Ikhwan-ul-Muslimoon for three months in 1997 and later became a close associate of slain legislator Kuka Parray when the outfit was converted into a political party and given the name - Awami League.

Hurra, also a poet, had disassociated himself from the Awami League in 2002 and had remained aloof from politics since then.

UNI AG LR HT1430