Hizbul Mujahideen’s chief commander gunned down

New Delhi, Nov 01: Hizbul Mujahideen chief Saifullah has been shot dead in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir. The chief commander of the outfit was killed in an operation jointly carried out by the Jammu and Kashmir police, Indian Army and CRPF.

The encounter took place earlier today at Srinagar. Saifullah had taken over the leadership of the Hizbul Mujahideen following the death of Riyaz Naikoo in an encounter earlier this year.

The security forces had earlier today launched an operation in Rangreth in Srinagar. One terrorist was also apprehended in the operation.

Naikoo who was killed in May this year was the oldest surviving members of the Hizbul and was categorised as an A++ terrorist. Naikoo was dreaded and was responsible for the killing of several police personnel in the valley.

Naikoo was tech savvy like Burhan Wani and used the social media extensively to put across the message of the terror outfit. Naikoo had managed to escape from the police net several times. This time his location was found following a tip off by the intelligence.