Srinagar/Kulgam, 19 December 2024: Five local militants were killed in a joint military operation launched by 34 RR and 9 RR of the Indian Army, 18 BN of the CRPF, and Jammu and Kashmir Police in the Kadder area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Thursday morning.
Two personnel were also injured during the gunfight and were hospitalized for treatment, according to reports.
The militants have been identified as Farooq Ahmed Bhat (Nali), a senior Hizbul Mujahideen commander from Khanpora Yaripora in Kulgam, who had been active since April 2015; Mushtaq Ahmed Itoo, a resident of Mohammedpora in Kulgam, active since March 2020; Adil Hussain, from Khandipora in Kulgam, active since August 2023; Yasir Javid Bhat, from Khanpora Yaripora in Kulgam, active since August 2024; and Mohammed Irfan, from Hawoora in Kulgam, active since June 2022.
For the police, Nali, designated as an A++ category militant, had taken over leadership of Hizbul Mujahideen following the 2020 arrest of Naveed Babu.
