The elimination of India's most-wanted terrorist in south Kashmir -- Hizbul Mujahideen commander commander Riyaz Naikoo -- on Wednesday marked a big success for security forces.

A special team of the Jammu and Kashmir Police had been tracking Naikoo for almost six months.

He had over a dozen hideouts in the south Kashmir region, and was the longest surviving terror commander in Kashmir. He had to finally give up and give in when&nbsp;the police tracked down his closest contacts.

Media reports say the security forces approached the hideouts many times, but came back empty-handed.

Later, in house-to-house searches, two possible hideouts were marked.

The journey wasn't easy. When the two-day encounter started on Tuesday, one security agency pulled out, but the police remained.

The forces were sure he was in that house -- fully prepared for the possibility of underground tunnels in the house.

The breakthrough came just three days before Riyaz Naikoo was neutralised&nbsp;in Beighpora, when the forces picked up some of the contacts who were very close to him.

When the encounter finally happened, Riyaz Naikoo kept shifting from one place to another in the home in which he was surrounded.

His counter-attack was not up to the mark, and he was eventually killed.

Riyaz Naikoo had taken over as the commander of Hizbul Mujahideen after&nbsp;Burhan Wani was killed in a gunfight with the security forces in the Kokarnag area in Anantnag district on July 8, 2016. 
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The elimination of India's most-wanted terrorist in south Kashmir -- Hizbul Mujahideen commander commander Riyaz Naikoo -- on Wednesday marked a big success for security forces.

The elimination of India's most-wanted terrorist in south Kashmir -- Hizbul Mujahideen commander commander Riyaz Naikoo -- on Wednesday marked a big success for security forces. A special team of the Jammu and Kashmir Police had been tracking Naikoo for almost six months. He had over a dozen hideouts in the south Kashmir region, and was the longest surviving terror commander in Kashmir. He had to finally give up and give in when the police tracked down his closest contacts. Media reports say the security forces approached the hideouts many times, but came back empty-handed. Later, in house-to-house searches, two possible hideouts were marked. The journey wasn't easy. When the two-day encounter started on Tuesday, one security agency pulled out, but the police remained. The forces were sure he was in that house -- fully prepared for the possibility of underground tunnels in the house. The breakthrough came just three days before Riyaz Naikoo was neutralised in Beighpora, when the forces picked up some of the contacts who were very close to him. When the encounter finally happened, Riyaz Naikoo kept shifting from one place to another in the home in which he was surrounded. His counter-attack was not up to the mark, and he was eventually killed. Riyaz Naikoo had taken over as the commander of Hizbul Mujahideen after Burhan Wani was killed in a gunfight with the security forces in the Kokarnag area in Anantnag district on July 8, 2016.

Police had been after Riyaz Naikoo for six months, got to him through his close contacts

In a huge victory in a fight against terrorism in the valley, Hizbul Mujahideen chief Riyaz Naikoo was killed in an encounter with security forces in Kashmir. Watch report.

Top Hizbul Mujahideen commander killed | Riyaz Naikoo | Indian security forces

A Hizbul commander was killed in Doda district of Kashmir on Wednesday.

Harun Hafaz, the district commander of Hizbul Mujahideen was killed during an encounter with security forces.

Hafaz, was wanted in many terrorist incidents including the killing of political activists and weapon snatching in Kishtwar.

He was an associate of Osama Javed, Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Kishtwar who was killed at Ramban by police and security forces.

The operation was launched based on inputs about his presence at a village in the area.

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A Hizbul commander was killed in Doda district of Kashmir on Wednesday. Harun Hafaz, the district commander of Hizbul Mujahideen was killed during an encounter with security forces.

A Hizbul commander was killed in Doda district of Kashmir on Wednesday. Harun Hafaz, the district commander of Hizbul Mujahideen was killed during an encounter with security forces. Hafaz, was wanted in many terrorist incidents including the killing of political activists and weapon snatching in Kishtwar. He was an associate of Osama Javed, Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Kishtwar who was killed at Ramban by police and security forces. The operation was launched based on inputs about his presence at a village in the area.

J&K: Hizbul commander killed in encounter at Doda district

Further needling India on the Kashmir issue, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today declared slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani as a &quot;martyr&quot; and said July 19 will be observed as black day to express solidarity with people of Kashmir. The Indian government, however, rejected the Pakistan cabinet&#39;s decisions on the matter &quot;unequivocally&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
Addressing a special cabinet meeting in Lahore to discuss the situation in Kashmir, Sharif termed the &quot;movement of Kashmiris as a movement of freedom&quot;. 
 
&quot;Pakistan would continue to extend moral, political and diplomatic support for Kashmiris in their just struggle for right to self-determination,&quot; Sharif said. 
 
The Indian foreign ministry spokesperson reiteratred, for the second time in 24 hours, that Pakistan or any other external party had&nbsp;no locus standi&nbsp;to intervene in India&rsquo;s internal matters. 
 
&quot;India completely and unequivocally rejects&nbsp;the decisions adopted by the Cabinet of Pakistan on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir,&quot; &nbsp;the Indian foreign ministry spokesperson said. 
 
He also&nbsp;criticised&nbsp;Pakistan for glorifying terrorists belonging to banned organisations. 
 
&quot;The Prime Minister termed Burhan Wani as a martyr of independence movement,&quot; Radio Pakistan reported Sharif&#39;s speech to his cabinet. 
 
&quot;Indian brutalities will give impetus to the freedom struggle and Kashmiri people will get their right to self-determination for which the whole Pakistani nation is standing behind them,&quot; Sharif said today. 
 
He directed all the relevant departments to highlight the Kashmir issue at international fora. 
 
&quot;Seven hundred thousand Indian soldiers deployed in Occupied Kashmir could not suppress the struggle of Kashmiris,&quot; Sharif was quoted as saying by Radio Pakistan. 
 
On the proposal of Prime Minister Sharif, the cabinet decided that &quot;Black Day will be observed on Tuesday (July 19) against Indian barbarism in Occupied Kashmir.&quot; 
 
The meeting also condemned the terrorist attacks in France, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Turkey and Indonesia. 
 
(WION with agency inputs)

Pak PM Sharif said the country will observe July 19 as black day, even as India criticised them for 'glorifying' terrorists

Further needling India on the Kashmir issue, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today declared slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani as a "martyr" and said July 19 will be observed as black day to express solidarity with people of Kashmir. The Indian government, however, rejected the Pakistan cabinet's decisions on the matter "unequivocally". Addressing a special cabinet meeting in Lahore to discuss the situation in Kashmir, Sharif termed the "movement of Kashmiris as a movement of freedom". "Pakistan would continue to extend moral, political and diplomatic support for Kashmiris in their just struggle for right to self-determination," Sharif said. The Indian foreign ministry spokesperson reiteratred, for the second time in 24 hours, that Pakistan or any other external party had no locus standi to intervene in India’s internal matters. "India completely and unequivocally rejects the decisions adopted by the Cabinet of Pakistan on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir," the Indian foreign ministry spokesperson said. He also criticised Pakistan for glorifying terrorists belonging to banned organisations. "The Prime Minister termed Burhan Wani as a martyr of independence movement," Radio Pakistan reported Sharif's speech to his cabinet. "Indian brutalities will give impetus to the freedom struggle and Kashmiri people will get their right to self-determination for which the whole Pakistani nation is standing behind them," Sharif said today. He directed all the relevant departments to highlight the Kashmir issue at international fora. "Seven hundred thousand Indian soldiers deployed in Occupied Kashmir could not suppress the struggle of Kashmiris," Sharif was quoted as saying by Radio Pakistan. On the proposal of Prime Minister Sharif, the cabinet decided that "Black Day will be observed on Tuesday (July 19) against Indian barbarism in Occupied Kashmir." The meeting also condemned the terrorist attacks in France, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Turkey and Indonesia. (WION with agency inputs)

Pakistan declares Burhan Wani 'martyr', India 'unequivocally' rejects decision

Kashmir today saw sporadic violence which left one person dead, raising the toll to 25 (AFP reports 32 dead), even as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the situation and appealed for calm with the hope that no innocent person would face any inconvenience or suffer any loss. 
 
One person was killed in firing by security forces on a mob in Kupwara district of Kashmir, police sources said. 
 
There were some other incidents of violence, including a militant strike on a police post and a mob attack on the family of a police officer in which his wife and daughter were injured. 
 
In Delhi, Modi held a high-level meeting to review the Kashmir situation soon after his return from his five-day Africa visit. It was attended by Indian interior minister Rajnath Singh, finance minister Arun Jaitley, defence minister Manohar Parrikar, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and national security adviser Ajit Doval. 
 
The Prime Minister voiced concern over the situation in the state where the death toll rose to 25 in the violent protests and clashes with security forces, triggered by the killing of Hizbul militant commander Burhan Wani last Friday. 
 
&quot;He (PM) has appealed to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to maintain peace so that the situation can normalise. He (PM) also expressed hope that no innocent person should face any kind of inconvenience or loss,&quot; minister of state in the Prime Minister&#39;s office Jitendra Singh said after the meeting. 
 
Modi said the government at the centre will provide whatever help is needed by the state government, according to Jitendra Singh. 
 
The Prime Minister also expressed satisfaction over the progress of the Amarnath Yatra.&nbsp;He was given a detailed presentation of the situation prevailing in the Valley. 
 
&quot;The Prime Minister kept taking updates about the Jammu and Kashmir situation during his visit abroad. The biggest evidence of his concern is that he called this review meeting within hours of returning from the tour and took details,&quot; Singh told reporters. 
 
In Kashmir, while normal life remained paralysed, unidentified militants targeted a police post in Sopore, about 55 kms from Srinagar, firing seven to eight rounds but no one was injured. 
 
In another incident, unidentified persons hurled a petrol bomb towards security forces posted on law and order duty in Noorbagh area of Srinagar, an official said, adding nobody was injured in this too. 
 
In Awantipora area of Pulwama in south Kashmir, a mob beat up and injured wife and daughter of a police sub-inspector Mohammad Ashraf Pal and damaged his house. 
 
The injured were shifted to sub district hospital Awantipora where their condition is stated to be stable. 
 
Pal, who is posted as duty officer at Sangam police post in Bibjehara area of Anantnag district, was not at home at the time of the attack, which follows a series of attacks on police personnel and installations since the killing Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on last Friday. 
 
(PTI)

A mob attacks a police officer's family, injuring his wife and daughter. The PM reviews the situation, appeals for calm

Kashmir today saw sporadic violence which left one person dead, raising the toll to 25 (AFP reports 32 dead), even as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the situation and appealed for calm with the hope that no innocent person would face any inconvenience or suffer any loss. One person was killed in firing by security forces on a mob in Kupwara district of Kashmir, police sources said. There were some other incidents of violence, including a militant strike on a police post and a mob attack on the family of a police officer in which his wife and daughter were injured. In Delhi, Modi held a high-level meeting to review the Kashmir situation soon after his return from his five-day Africa visit. It was attended by Indian interior minister Rajnath Singh, finance minister Arun Jaitley, defence minister Manohar Parrikar, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and national security adviser Ajit Doval. The Prime Minister voiced concern over the situation in the state where the death toll rose to 25 in the violent protests and clashes with security forces, triggered by the killing of Hizbul militant commander Burhan Wani last Friday. "He (PM) has appealed to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to maintain peace so that the situation can normalise. He (PM) also expressed hope that no innocent person should face any kind of inconvenience or loss," minister of state in the Prime Minister's office Jitendra Singh said after the meeting. Modi said the government at the centre will provide whatever help is needed by the state government, according to Jitendra Singh. The Prime Minister also expressed satisfaction over the progress of the Amarnath Yatra. He was given a detailed presentation of the situation prevailing in the Valley. "The Prime Minister kept taking updates about the Jammu and Kashmir situation during his visit abroad. The biggest evidence of his concern is that he called this review meeting within hours of returning from the tour and took details," Singh told reporters. In Kashmir, while normal life remained paralysed, unidentified militants targeted a police post in Sopore, about 55 kms from Srinagar, firing seven to eight rounds but no one was injured. In another incident, unidentified persons hurled a petrol bomb towards security forces posted on law and order duty in Noorbagh area of Srinagar, an official said, adding nobody was injured in this too. In Awantipora area of Pulwama in south Kashmir, a mob beat up and injured wife and daughter of a police sub-inspector Mohammad Ashraf Pal and damaged his house. The injured were shifted to sub district hospital Awantipora where their condition is stated to be stable. Pal, who is posted as duty officer at Sangam police post in Bibjehara area of Anantnag district, was not at home at the time of the attack, which follows a series of attacks on police personnel and installations since the killing Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on last Friday. (PTI)

One more killed in firing in Kashmir, conflicting reports put total toll between 25 & 32