Table of Contents
BACKGROUND
- In August 2017, a year after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, security forces gunned down his successor, Yasin Itoo alias Mehmood Ghaznavi, in Shopian.
- In disarray, the militant outfit turned to Naikoo, naming him chief of its operations in the Valley with the additional task of regrouping its ranks.
- Under Naikoo who now went by the name of Mohammad bin Qasim, the Hizb soon returned to the centrestage of militancy in the Valley and he showed up on the radar of every security agency
RIYAZ NAIKOO
- The son of a tailor of Beighpora village in Awantipora in south Kashmir, Naikoo acquired a degree in mathematics and taught the subject at a local school. Village residents remember him as a teacher popular among students.
- His pro-Pakistan leanings, oration skills and motivating young men into picking up guns soon made him a divisional commander of the Hizb. He also won the trust of its Pakistan-based chief Syed Salah-ud-din.
ENCOUNTER
- He was killed in an encounter with security forces at his village in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, officials said on Wednesday, announcing a major breakthrough that is expected to weaken the home-grown terror group significantly.
- Naikoo, who carried a Rs 12 lakh reward on his head, was among four militants killed in Pulwama after security forces launched three separate, coordinated operations in a 25km radius on Tuesday night and early Wednesday.
ENCOUNTER
- The police statement said Naikoo was involved in the killing of a panchayat sarpanch’s father, Haji Ghulan Mohd Dar, in 2014, that of head constable Ashiq Hussain Mir, and more recently, the murder of migrant workers and truck drivers.
- Additional security forces were deployed in the four districts of Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag.
- Since March 21, over 30 terrorists have been killed in 15 gun battles across the Valley. Twenty security personnel lost their lives in these encounters.
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