In a major breakthrough, the security forces on Wednesday killed the most wanted and Pakistan-supported Hizb-ul-Mujahideen’s top terrorist Riyaz Naikoo along with his associate in an encounter in Beighpora village of Awantipora in Jammu and Kashmir.
With this, the security forces also avenged the deaths of five security men recently killed in Kupwara district on May 3. Naikoo, Kashmirs most wanted terrorist and Hizbul chief was trapped late on Tuesday in his native Beighpora village in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama district.
The Hizbul Mujahideen commander and his associate were killed early on Wednesday while another terrorist was killed in a separate operation in Sharshali village of Khrew area in Pulwama district away from Naikoo`s encounter spot.
Two terrorists, a Pakistan national and a local terrorist were also killed in the encounter in Chanjimulla village of Handwara tehsil on May 3 along with martyrs.
Soon after his death was confirmed, #RiyazNaikoo became a top trend on Twitter.
According to officials, the operation to eliminate Naikoo was carried out with pinpoint precision without any collateral damage. Authorities had suspended mobile Internet across the Kashmir Valley and imposed curfew in most major towns of the valley to ensure that no ugly fallout of Naikoo`s death affects the law and order.
A video conferencing meeting was reportedly held earlier between senior officers of the Union Home Ministry and J&K top brass to address any law and order issues peacefully.
In Srinagar city, the District Magistrate announced that all curfew passes issued on or before May 5 have been canceled and fresh passes would be issued after two days. Authorities do not want to take any chance after killing the most wanted militant commander who happened to be a Kashmiri.
Riyaz Naikoo took over as the commander of Hizbul Mujahideen after the outfit`s poster boy and commander Burhan Wani was killed in a gunfight with the security forces in the Kokarnag area in Anantnag district on July 8, 2016.
Naikoo carried a reward of Rs 12 lakh on his head. Naikoo had been masterminding the killings of local policemen to put pressure on them not to engage in anti-militancy operations.
It was because of this threat perception that policemen were advised not to visit their homes especially in South Kashmir districts where Naikoo held sway among the militant ranks.
Before joining the terror ranks, Naikoo worked as a mathematics teacher at a local school. He was known to have a passion for painting roses before he picked up the gun at the age of 33.
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