January 14
The Killing of Zeenat ul Islam, one of the most wanted commanders is being considered a major blow to New Age Militancy which erupted post the killing of Burhan Wani on July 08, 2016.
Sources informed The Kashmiriyat that Zeenat ul Islam was first arrested in 2008, and was booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) for being an Over ground Worker of Al-Badr. He was also in touch with different outfits and was working as an over ground worker for their members, arranging them food and supplies.
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After his release in 2011, he initially worked with his father and got married before joining LeT. His father is an Imam in the local mosque. He completed his Bachelor of Arts from a local college, they said.
“A patrol of Indian Army’s 34 RR routinetly moving through Katpora yaripora spotted a group of Militants moving through orchards in the area, upon spotting the Army men, the Militants opened fire upon the Army men.”
Officials say that the gunfight on Saturday evening at Kulgam’s Yaripora lasted for less than ten minutes and within ten minutes Zeenat and his associate were killed.
A patrol of Indian Army’s 34 RR camp was routinely moving through the Katpora yaripora when they spotted a group of Militants moving through orchards in the area, upon spotting the Army men, the Militants opened fire upon the Army men.
The Militants had distributed themselves in two groups and while opening fire, Zeenat ul Islam asked the other group to run away and he kept firing on the forces indiscriminately.
The other group of Militants managed to climb the nearby hill and escaped from the spot. The Searches continues for the next many hours, but the forces were unable trace the other group.
Zeenat ul Islam and his associate, Shakeel Ahmed Dar were killed in less than en minutes, official said.
The last year, when Al Badr started gaining ground in Kashmir, Zeenat ul Islam quit Hizb ul Mujahideen after he had differences with Hizb commander, Riyaz Naikoo and joined Al Badr as the chief commander of the outfit which is mainly operational in Shopian district of South Kashmir.