Terror group Hizbul Mujahideen’s de facto chief Reyaz Naikoo, on the run for eight years, was among four terrorists killed on Wednesday in two separate encounters in Kashmir.
Naikoo was eliminated by security forces in his village in Kashmir’s Pulwama district, police said.

Anticipating a law and order problem, authorities suspended mobile telephone services of private operators and mobile internet services across the Valley.
Security forces engaged with terrorists in two gunbattles in the south Kashmir district, one in Sharshalli village where two unidentified terrorists were killed and the other in Beighpora in Awantipora where they finally put down Naikoo who was holed up with another terrorist.
His accomplice attempted to escape by charging at security forces but was also killed.

The gunning down of the Hizbul Mujahideen commander, a major breakthrough in the fight against terror, comes three days after eight security personnel, including two Army officers Colonel Ashutosh Sharma and Major Anuj Sood, were martyred in Handwara.

News of the killing of 35-year-old Naikoo, who carried a reward of Rs 12 lakh on his head and had escaped the police dragnet thrice, led to some incidents of people pelting stones at security forces. However, this was handled with care to ensure there was no collateral damage, an official said.

Giving details of the operation, officials said security forces zeroed in on Naikoo’s hideout on Tuesday. But instead of initiating an immediate operation, the security forces fortified their cordon around the area and plugged all escape routes so he could not escape as he had done thrice earlier.

Army units were pushed along with the special operations group of Jammu and Kashmir Police at dawn, the officials said. A gunfight broke out after Naikoo and his accomplice fired at the security personnel.
CRPF and police forces laid an outer cordon to keep the public away from the encounter site.

Shortly after noon, one of the terrorists came out from the house firing indiscriminately at the security forces in his attempt to escape. However, he was shot dead in the retaliatory fire.
It was not immediately known whether that was Naikoo or his accomplice.

A police spokesperson said earlier in the morning that a top terrorist commander along with an accomplice was trapped in an encounter but did not reveal his identity. Later in the day, officials disclosed that the man in their sights was Naikoo, the man they had been looking for eight years.
He became the de facto chief of the terror group after the death of Burhan Wani, the poster boy of terrorism in the Valley, in July 2016.

A police handout described terrorist Naikoo as Chief operational Commander of (HM) outfit in Kashmir, saying he joined terror ranks of in May 2012 and was a close associate of Burhan Wani. After Zakir Musa’s defection from HM to form his own outfit called Ansar Gazwat ul Hind, he took command of HM outfit in Jammu Kashmir. Zakir Musa was eliminated in an operation last year.

Naikoo had been continuously making audio and video clips and putting up on social media to motivate youth to join terrorism and went on recruiting new boys. He was responsible for a large number of innocent youths getting into terrorist ranks and indulging in serious violence against local population and SF.
He was a masterminded behind the revival of HM outfit in Jammu and Kashmir. He also released videos / audios on number of occasions carrying Pro-Pakistan and separatist propaganda.

He executed a series of attacks on policemen, SF and civilians. He resorted to brutal killings of civilians branding them as police/SF informers.
He looted orchard owners and farmers to collect funds for his outfit. He also has been collecting booty from illicit cultivation of opium and Bhang in South Kashmir. His outfit also figured in narco trade case in Jammu where a huge sum of sale proceeds was transferred to one of his contacts.

Some of the killings/ violence where he was directly involved were included killing of Haji Ghulam Mohd Dar father of a Sarpanch at Dogripora 0n 8 March 2014, firing on a police bus near Bhatpora Tokena, killings of Gh Mohi-Ud-din Dar, Javaid Akbar Khanday resident of Khandaypora, a police Head Constable Ashiq Hussain Mir at Padgampoara crossing, killing of six migrant labour in Kulgam, killing of truck drivers and fruit traders post Aug 5 last year, kidnapping of Constable Naseer Ahmad, looting of nine weapons from the residence of ex MLA Wachi among other crimes. He had also released an audio tape threatening attacks on the Jail staff after preferential treatment being provided to terrorists and the separatists lodged in various jails was discontinued.

Police handout added that Naikoo was involved in many other cases of heinous crime for which a big number of FIRs were registered against him.
In a separate encounter at Sharshali village, two terrorists, who are yet to be identified, were gunned down in an encounter with security forces.
Acting on a tip-off about the presence of terrorists in the village, security forces launched a cordon and search operation. It turned into an encounter after terrorists opened fire towards security forces’ positions, officials said.
The forces retaliated, killing the two terrorists, they said.