21 Terrorists on Hit-list in J&K; Security Forces Launch Major Operations After Anantnag Encounter

After four terrorists were killed in Anantnag encounter in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, the security forces have prepared hit-list of 21 most-wanted terrorists belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) and other terror organisations.

Major operations are underway to target these ’21 top terrorists’, six of whom are placed in the highest category of A++. The list has been prepared based on the number of people these terrorists have killed, areas that they control and their longevity.

The six A++ terrorists in the list comprise four from Hizb, according to a report in The Times of India. These are – Riyaz Ahmad Naikoo (chief operational commander in the Kashmir Valley), Altaf Ahmad Dar (division commander in south Kashmir), Umar Majeed Ganai (a resident of Hawoora, Kulgam) and Zeenat-ul-Islam (Sugan, Shopian). The other two are reported, LeT’s Mushtaq Ahmad Mir (Chak Cholan, Shopian) and Ansar Ghazwat ul-Hind (AGH) commander Zakir Rashid Bhat (Tral).

The list also includes three LeT terrorists from Pakistan, who are active in Hajin and Pulwama. All of them have been placed under the A+ category. Apart from these, the list names seven other most wanted terrorists belonging to Hizb, three from LeT and two from JeM.

On Friday, the security forces – Indian Army and J& K police – eliminated four terrorists belonging to Islamic State of Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK) in an encounter in Srigufwara area of Anantnag. Those killed included ISJK chief Dawood Ahmed Sofi and three of his aides.

Sofi, also known as Salafi and Burhan, was involved in several terror attacks on policemen in the state. He is behind numerous incidents of weapon snatching and stone pelting too.

The encounter was the first combat operation after the imposition of Governor’s rule in J&K on Wednesday after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pulled out of an alliance with Mehbooba Mufti’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP).