Top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Altaf Kachroo killed in J&K

SRINAGAR: Top Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Altaf Ahmad Dar was killed along with his associate in an encounter on Wednesday morning in Anantnag district of southern Kashmir.

The armed forces have killed over 130 militants across Valley this year out of which 64 were killed in southern Kashmir. The government has suspended mobile Internet in Anantnag district and adjoining areas and train services to south Kashmir were also stopped.

The killing of Dar alias Altaf Kachroo, a resident of Hawoora in Kulgam area, is a major setback for militants as he was one of the few top commanders in A++ category who survived during the ongoing Operation All Out the government launched after 2016, to wipe out militancy from the state.


Kachroo was the division commander of HM in south Kashmir and featured among the top few in the list of 21 most wanted militants, government of India released earlier this year. He was one of the longest surviving militants and carried reward money of Rs 12.5 lakh on his head. Kachroo was arrested twice and after his second release few years back, he again joined the militant ranks. The other militant was identified as Umar Rashid Wani of Khudwani area of Kulgam.

According to police, Dar was involved in killing of policemen and was being pursued on priority basis by the armed forces.

The gunfight started at around 5 am in Muniward village near Khanabal area of the Anantnag district, when armed forces launched a search operation in the area. The exchange of fire continued for few hours after which the armed forces used explosives at the encounter site.

“Anantnag encounter completed, two bodies of terrorists along with two weapons recovered from the site. A clean operation with precision,” J&K police chief S P Vaid wrote on twitter.

The bodies of militants, according to police, were charred due to the blasts at the encounter site. J&K police has informed the family members and the process of handing over the bodies was going on.

As soon as the news of encounter broke in the area locals came out on the roads triggering massive protests as youngsters threw stones at armed forces deployed in various nearby areas. The armed forces fired pellets and tear smoke canisters to disperse the protestors, during which some of the civilians were injured. The government forces also imposed restrictions in several areas of the district.

The situation in Anantnag and Kulgam district is tense as people have started going towards the native village of Kachroo where a big funeral procession is expected.

The armed forces in J&K are continuing with Operation All Out, aimed at wiping out the militancy from the state. As per the government statistics around 250 militants are active in the state and over this year till now over 130 militants have been killed during various operations. However, over 128 locals have joined militant ranks across the state this year till now. Also, during 133 infiltration attempts this year till June 69 militants have managed to infiltrate successfully.