Mohammed Ashraf Khan alias Ash Molvi who had appeared on the list of the most-wanted militants had escaped several anti-militancy operations during the past few years, but today was not his day as he was killed during an encounter, far away from his normal operating zone in the Breng belt (Kokernag), Anantnag district.
On January 09, 2018, the Government forces received input about his presence in the Pehlipora area of Kokernag area of south Kashmir. Ashraf was shot at, while his colleague Farhan Ahmad Wani, a resident of Redwani Khudwani, Kulgam was killed during the encounter. The cordon continued for several hours, but Ashraf managed to escape.
Sources say that Ashraf had escaped several gunfights and cordons laid down specifically for him in the Kokernag and Sirigufara belts of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. As per the official records, Mohammed Ashraf Khan had joined Hizb ul Mujahideen in the year 1999 and then recycled in the year 2013 and soon became the most wanted militant in the valley. “Ashraf was instrumental in recruiting locals into the outfit, ” officials said.
Ashraf Khan, as per the officials was a Pakistan-trained militant well who had received training in Muzaffarabad and had crossed over in the year 1999. “He was an expert in the planting of IEDs and was instrumental in reviving the Hizb in Anantnag by recruiting the several youths into their ranks,” officials told The Kashmiriyat.
Ashraf was a close aide of Lashkar commander, Bashir Ahmed Wani alias Lashkar and security officials believe that the duo conducted most of the attacks together. Bashir was killed during an encounter in July 2017 in the Breenti area of Achabal in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. However, the hunt for Ashraf Khan continued since he appeared in a video training militants at an undisclosed location in south Kashmir.
At the funeral of Bashir Lashkar, Ashraf led a group of more than 12 militants who offered gun salutes to the slain commander. After this, his social media appearances grew. In the years, 2017 and 18, Ashraf appeared in several other photographs with most wanted militant commanders including Saddam Padder, Yaseen Itoo, Altaf Kaczroo, and Riyaz Naikoo among others.
Ashraf had featured in the list of most-wanted militants for five years consecutively from 2017. His name also appeared on Hizb ul Mujahideen’s three most preferred men for the role of operational commander of the organization in November 2020 after its former chief, Saifullah was killed during an encounter in Srinagar’s Nowgam on November 1, 2020. However, Hizb ul Mujahideen did not make public the name of its operational commander.
The encounter
Several inputs were received over the years on Ashraf, officials told The Kashmiriyat, adding, “but Ashraf either escaped or was not found at the site of the operation.” On 05 May 2022, the Government forces received input about the presence of an associate of Ashraf Khan near Tangpawa, which was the native of Mohammed Ashraf Khan.
The Security official said that 19 RR of the Indian Army accompanied by Jammu Kashmir Police laid the cordon and search operation during which a local militant of Hizb ul Mujahideen identified as Mohammed Ishfaq Shergojri, who is a resident of Nowgam Verinag was arrested. “During the initial interrogation, leads were developed and subsequently information was generated regarding the presence of Khan in the woods of Pahalgam,” the official said.
The information was then passed to the Army (03 RR) based in the Pahalgam division of Anantnag who laid a cordon and search operation in the area early in the morning. The forces came under heavy fire but the forces had an upper hand as they exactly knew the position and had cornered Ashraf Khan and his colleagues on all sides and also made sure that the militants do not get to know the Army cordon till they approached very close, he said.
“During the searches, the militants opened fire upon the forces at around 1015 AM from the forest area in the Sirchan top area of Pahalgam in Anantnag and this exchange of gunfire continued for several hours. By 3 PM, all the three militants had been killed,” he said.
Arms and ammunition were recovered from their possession and the bodies were taken for burial in north Kashmir. “His killing would weaken Hizb ul Mujahideen further as he was an expert militant and knew operational procedures of the outfit,” the official said. The Breng belt (Anantnag) which always has been home to militancy will also see a downfall of the militancy, he told The Kashmiriyat.
As per the Police statement, Ashraf Khan had a long history of criminal cases which include attacks on Police/SF and civilian atrocities.
“He was involved in killings of Constable Imtiyaz Ahmad at Bus Stand Anantnag on 09/09/2017, Mohammed Saleem Dar resident of Larkipora, Fatehpora Anantnag on 02/04/2020, ASI Mohammad Ashraf near Police Station Bijbehara on 22/12/2021, Head Constable Ali Mohammed Ganie at Hasanpora Tavella on 29/01/2022,” the Police said, adding, that, on his directions, terrorists killed Sarpanch Ghulam Rasool Dar and his wife Jawahara Begum at Lal Chowk Anantnag on 09/08/2021.
IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar said that the operation was conducted professionally without any collateral damage. He also termed the operation as a major success as the site of operation is close to the Yatra route which indicates that the killed militants were eyeing to target Amarnath Yatra-2022.
The other two slain during the encounter were identified as Rafiq Ahmed Drangay and Mohammed Roshan Zameer, both residents of Anantnag.
Rafiq Ahmed Drangay, son of Ghulam Nabi Drangay, resident of Hayar area in Bijbehara of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district had joined Hizb ul Mujahideen in June 2019.
Roshan, a resident of the Ahwara area in Bijbehara joined militancy in May 2018.