Burhan Wani's Successor,Sabzar Bhat among 8 terrorists killed in Jammu & Kashmir

NEW DELHI: Security forces on Saturday killed Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Sabzar Ahmad , who was said to be the slain separatist Burhan Wani's successor.

According to police sources, Ahmad, alias Abu Zarar, was killed in an encounter in Tral in Pulwama, after he was trapped inside a house in a cordon created by security forces. Two other terrorists, one of them a Pakistani, were trapped with him. There are no details on them.

Based on specific inputs by military intelligence, the 42 Rashtriya Rifles and the Jammu and Kashmir police launched cordon and search operations in Saimuh near Hardumir, Tral in Pulwama district at around 7:30 pm on Friday. The security forces were then fired upon while placing the cordon at around 9:15pm. Since Saturday morning, security forces and the terrorists had been exchanging heavy fire.

Meanwhile, police sources said that while the encounter was going on, stone-pelters were sending audio messages via WhatsApp urging people to come to Ahmad's aid and to spread the message about the encounter. "Loudspeakers were also used in some areas of Tral to reach Saimoh to help the terrorists," sources added.

After Wani was killed last July, it was Musa who succeeded him as Hizb's top man. Musa however quit the terrorist outfit May 13, after the Hizb refused to back his statement warning that separatist leaders would be beheaded for calling the Kashmir issue "political".