Poonch/Jammu, August 7: In a significant development, a self-proclaimed divisional commander affiliated with Hizbul Mujahideen lost his life, along with his bodyguard, as security forces successfully thwarted an infiltration endeavor and a plot by the banned group to rekindle its operations in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday.
The deceased Hizbul commander, Muneser Hussain, was neutralized during the encounter, and while his body was recovered, the body of his bodyguard remained in close proximity to the Line of Control (LoC) in the Degwar sector.
The encounter unfolded when troops stationed in the Degwar sector detected the movement of a group of terrorists attempting to infiltrate under the cover of darkness. Swift action was taken, and a joint team comprising Army and police personnel confronted the infiltrating militants in the Garhi Battalion area around 2 am.
The confrontation led to immediate elimination of one terrorist, while the second tried to escape back toward the LoC. However, he was successfully engaged, incapacitated, and observed falling to the ground, according to Jammu-based defence PRO Lt Col Suneel Bartwal.
The initial tracking of the terrorists’ activities centered around the general vicinity of Degwar Terva, revealed Lt Col Bartwal. He further stated that one of the deceased terrorists has been identified as Hussain, hailing from Bagyladra village in Poonch. Hussain held the position of self-declared Divisional Commander within the ranks of Hizbul Mujahideen. His history included traveling to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) for arms training in 1993, returning after a three-year period. Subsequently, he orchestrated numerous attacks on Security Forces before returning to PoK in 1998.
Hussain, who had multiple wives and children, had close ties to Maulana Dawood Kashmiri, an associate of PoK-based Hizbul supremo Syed Salauddin.
Notably, a recent high-level meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan saw Hizbul leaders devising strategies to revive the outfit’s presence in the border regions of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir. It is believed that Hussain, along with his bodyguard, was dispatched with the mission of revitalizing terrorism activities south of the Pir-Panjal range.
The demise of Hussain, described as one of the most feared terrorists in the Rajouri and Poonch region over the past decade, underscores Pakistan’s attempt to deploy experienced terror operatives to incite and recruit younger individuals. This move is indicative of Pakistan’s concerted efforts to rejuvenate terrorist activities, concluded Lt Col Bartwal.
