With Hizbul Commander Riyaz Naikoo’s Elimination, One Of Kashmir’s Most Active Terrorist Gang Is Now Wiped Out

With the killing of terrorist commander Riyaz Naikoo on Wednesday (6 May), Indian Army has successfully eliminated a very active Hizbul Mujahideen gang in the Kashmir valley led by him.

The Naikoo-led gang has been involved in various terror activities and strikes against the armed forces and civilians in the valley.

Earlier today, the most wanted terrorist in the valley was killed after a massive manhunt was launched by a joint team of J&K Police, Indian Army and CRPF in Pulwama yesterday night. The forces had received specific intelligence input about Naikoo’s whereabouts, it was reported.

Naikoo, who carried a reward of Rs 12 lakh on his head, was the longest surviving terrorist commander in Kashmir and had killed various armed forces personnel and civilians. He had also mastermind the killings of local policemen to put pressure on them not to engage in anti-terror operations.

Riyaz Naikoo took over as the commander of Hizbul Mujahideen after the outfit's poster boy and commander Burhan Wani was killed in a gunfight with the security forces in Kokarnag area in Anantnag district on 8 July, 2016.

The gang led by Wani, also one of the active groups, had later been eliminated by the security forces in May 2018.

Following Naikoo’s encounter, authorities have suspended mobile Internet across the Kashmir Valley and imposed curfew in most major towns of the valley to ensure that no ugly fallout affects the law and order.