Hizbul Commander Burhan Wani Killed in Encounter in Kashmir

Kashmir: In a major anti-terror operation, top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani (22) was killed in a gun battle with police in Anantnag district of Kashmir on Friday.

Jammu and Kashmir police chief K Rajendra confirmed that Burhan was killed in the police encounter. One policeman who received bullet injury was rushed to a nearby hospital for medication.

Recently, Burhan released a video warning attack on separate colonies for Sainiks and Kashmiri Pandits if they are set up in the Valley. He was also featured in videos shared on Facebook and Whatsapp by the Hizbul outfit to attract local youth to terrorism.

On October 16, 2010 - ten days before his annual exam - Burhan left home saying he was going to the market and never returned. There was Rs 10 lakh reward for information leading to his arrest.

His father Muzafar Ahmad Wani is a Principal of a higher secondary school in the Tral area of South Kashmir.

Recently in a video message Burhan reached out to the Hindu pilgrims assuring them of the incident free Amarnath Yatra, which started from July 2.

"A BSF officer had recently said militants plan to attack the Amarnath yatra. His statement is absolutely untrue and false. Let me assure you (pilgrims) that we have no plans to attack Amarnath yatra. They (Hindu pilgrims) are coming here to fulfill their religious duties and we have nothing to do with it," Burhan had said.

In the evening, an encounter broke out between militants and security forces in Anantnag after a joint team of police and army launched a search operation on the basis of specific intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists including Wani, a police official said.

While the security forces were conducting the search operation, the hiding terrorists fired at them, triggering the gun battle, he said.

The firing was going on when last reports came in.