Srinagar: Security forces killed 3 terrorists in an encounter in South Kashmir on Friday. Among them was a top terrorist commander of Hizbul Mujahideen. The Jammu and Kashmir Police said that Mohammad Ashraf Khan alias Ashraf Maulvi was one of the oldest surviving terrorists in the Valley. Security forces gunned down Ashraf and his two other associates on Friday morning in the forests of Pahalgam, a famous tourist destination in South Kashmir.
When the police came to know about the terrorists hiding in Sirchan Top, located east of Batkoot Pahalgam area under Anantnag district of South Kashmir, they reached there with the soldiers of 19 RR Battalion, CRPF, and SOG and searched for the terrorists. started the campaign in Seeing themselves surrounded by the security forces, the terrorists hiding among the trees in the forest started firing furiously, after which the security forces also had to retaliate.
Ashraf Maulvi’s death was a big success for the security forces
During the encounter, the security forces asked the terrorists to surrender several times. But he refused to lay down his arms. Shortly after, Indian soldiers killed all three terrorists. Indian security forces termed it a big success after killing one of the most wanted terrorist commanders on the Amarnath Yatra route. In a tweet, the Jammu and Kashmir Police quoted Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar as saying, “Ashraf Maulvi along with 2 other terrorists were killed. This is a big success for the security forces for successful operation on the Amarnath Yatra route.
Ashraf Khan was included in the list of most wanted terrorist commanders
Ashraf Khan, a resident of Kokernag in South Kashmir’s Anantnag, was named on the list of 10 most wanted terrorist commanders released by the Jammu and Kashmir Police last year. He was classified as an A++ terrorist in police records. Police sources said that Ashraf Khan alias Ashraf Maulvi was 40 years old and had joined Hizbul Mujahideen in 2013. He was active in South Kashmir for nine years.
Maulvi used to recruit local youth for Hizbul Mujahideen
Sources said that apart from being involved in carrying out several terrorist incidents in Jammu and Kashmir, Ashraf was also instrumental in motivating local youth to join Hizbul Mujahideen. The encounter ended on Friday afternoon with the killing of 3 terrorists. Police have identified one of the slain terrorists as Ashraf Khan alias Ashraf Maulvi, but the other two terrorists have not been identified.
