Pahalgam: Top Hizb man among 3 militants killed

They termed the killing of one of the most wanted militant commanders “on the [Amarnath] yatra route” as a major success. “Ashraf Molvi along with two other terrorists killed. Successful operation on yatra route is a major success,” J&K Police said in a tweet, quoting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar.

A resident of Kokernag in south Kashmir’s Anantnag, Khan’s name was on the list of the 10 most-wanted militant commanders released by the J&K police last year. He was categorised as A++ militant in police records.

Khan, who police sources said was in late 40s, joined Hizbul Mujahideen in 2013 and was active in south Kashmir for nine years. Sources said apart from being involved in militant attacks, he was also instrumental in motivating local youth to join militant ranks.

The encounter ended in the afternoon with the killing of three militants. While police identified one of the slain militants as Khan, they are yet to ascertain the identities of the other two killed militants.