In a major success, security forces gunned down one of the oldest surviving A++ category terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit, Altaf Kachroo, and his accomplice in an encounter in South Kashmir on Wednesday.
The encounter took place in the Munawara area of Khanabal in Anantnag district in the early hours of Wednesday. The Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Altaf Ahmad Dar alias Altaf Kachroo, was killed along with his associate Umar Rashid.
Confirming this, IGP (Kashmir Range) SP Pani said the security forces on the basis of intelligence inputs cordoned off the house in which the most wanted HM commander was hiding.
READ | 4 J-K policemen shot dead by terrorists in Shopian
Army spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said the encounter broke out in the morning and the two holed up terrorists were neutralised.
The police said a large quantity of ammunition was recovered from them.
“As the joint forces of the Rashtriya Rifles (RR), special operations group (SOG) of state police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) approached the house, the holed up militants fired upon them triggering the encounter,” a police officer had said in the morning.
DGP SP Vaid too confirmed the encounter and called it a “clean operation with precision”. “Anantnag encounter completed, 2 bodies of terrorists along with 2 weapons recovered from the site. A clean operation with precision,” he tweeted.
Anantnag encounter completed, 2 bodies of terrorists along with 2 weapons recovered from the site. A clean operation with precision.
— Shesh Paul Vaid (@spvaid) August 29, 2018
Kachroo was divisional commander of HM and belonged to Redwani in the Kulgam district.
He had been active for the past about 15 years and was involved in brutality on civilians and attacking Army, police and security forces personnel. He carried a reward of Rs 15 lakh on his head. According to the police, Kachroo was instrumental in triggering violence during 2016 in the Kashmir valley. His killing is being seen as a major success in the anti-militancy operations.