The last surviving member of the Burhan Wani led group belonging to the terrorist organisation, Hizbul-Mujahideen, Lateef Ahmad Dar alias Lateef Tiger has been neutralised in an encounter by security forces in Kashmir’s Shopian on Friday. With this, the 11 member group of Burhan Wani stands completely eliminated.
Media reports state that Lateef and another terrorist named Tariq Maulvi have been killed in an encounter in Shopian.
#NewsAlert – End of Burhan Brigade. 2 Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists killed in encounter in Shopian. Burhan’s brigade commander Lateef Tiger killed. All 11 terrorists of Burhan’s brigade killed. | @islahmufti with more details pic.twitter.com/wcMps6cHFx
— News18 (@CNNnews18) May 3, 2019
Slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani’s famous group photo, which went viral on social media in 2015, had 11 terrorists along with arms and ammunitions posed in it with Burhan in the centre, to announce the birth of “new-age militancy” in Kashmir.
Nine team members were already neutralised earlier and one team member had surrendered. Now with the last member, Lateef Tiger being killed, the entire Burhan Wani’ group stands eliminated.
Meanwhile, the operation which is underway was launched by a joint team of 34RR and Special Operations Group (SOG) in Adkhara area of Imam Sahib of Shopian district on Friday morning, following inputs on the presence of terrorists in the area.
Tariq Maulvi alias Mufti Wakas, another terrorist has also been killed in the encounter. However, authorities have not yet officially confirmed the news.
In the exchange of firing which took place between the security forces and terrorist, an Army man has been reportedly injured, while two more terrorists are still trapped in the area. The area has been cordoned off.
Mobile internet services have been snapped in south Kashmir by the authorities as a precautionary measure.
Following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen chief, Burhan Wani, on July 7, 2016, in an encounter in the Kokernag area of south Kashmir, Shopian district, which falls under Anantnag Parliamentary Constituency, became one of the worst violence-hit areas in Kashmir.
It is notable here that Burhan Wani was a dreaded Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist who was gunned down by Indian security forces in 2016. Wani’s death was used by scores of Kashmiri separatists and even Indian ‘liberals’ to peddle separatist narratives and had created months of unrest in the valley. Journalist Barkha Dutt had introduced Wani as the ‘son of a school headmaster’.
Pakistan had also attempted to fan the unrest in the valley by hailing Burhan Wani as a martyr. Former PM Nawaz Sharif had even addressed Wani as a ‘young leader’ in an address in the United Nations. Last year, in another brazen attempt, Pakistan had issued a series of postage stamps commemorating Wani and terrorists in Kashmir hailing them as martyrs.
India had reacted strongly to the stamp release and had proceeded to cancel a scheduled meeting between EAM Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Meanwhile, Pakistan continuing with its effort to exalt terrorists and celebrate radical Islamists has recently allowed the release of a movie on Burhan Wani’s life. Not only this, but it also has one of its legislator from Imran Khan’ party, named Aamir Liyaqat Hussain playing the role of Burhan Wani in the film.
However, details regarding the terrorist encounter are still emerging and there has been no official word yet.
