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

Top Hizbul commander Sameer Tiger was killed in an <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/jk-major-soldier-injured-in-ongoing-encounter-in-pulwama-between-terrorists-security-forces-133753">encounter</a> in Kashmir's Pulwama today.&nbsp;

The army major leading the operation had, only 24 hours earlier, been threatened by Tiger in a video. The video soon went viral.&nbsp;

In the video, Sameer can be seen interrogating an informer. He asks the informer for his name, and those of people working for the army in the area.&nbsp;

He also tells the informer to not tell the army about the whereabout of militants.&nbsp;

At the end of the video, Sameer (who is not visible) can be heard telling the informer: "Tell Shukla that the lion has not stopped hunting. They think the jungle belongs to them. Tell him to come face me."&nbsp;

Shortly after the video went viral, Tiger was killed in the encounter. Major Shukla however was also critically injured.

Shukla is posted with the 44 Rashtrya Rifles in Pulwama's Shadimarg area.&nbsp;

Drabgaam village, from where Tiger hailed, falls under the jurisdiction of Shukla's unit.&nbsp;

Shukla was on Monday injured in the upper chest and has been admitted to the 92 Base Army Hospital in Srinagar.

Sameer was from the Burhaan group, the most-wanted group of militants led by former Hizbul posterboy Burhan Wani.&nbsp;

Sameer joined the Hizbul on May 8, 2016. Before joining the militants' ranks, police records say a number of cases of protesting and stone pelting had been lodged against him at the Pulwama police station.&nbsp;

Tiger was an A++ category militant and there was a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head.&nbsp;

<img alt="sameer tiger.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="545" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/sameer%20tiger.jpg" width="970" />

(Sameer Tiger aka Bhat.)

Tiger would frequently upload videos and photos on social websites and was the first militant to post a picture of himself with an American M16 rifle.&nbsp;That revealed that Kashmiri militants had US-made weapons with them.

According to the police, Tiger was the mastermind of almost all the major attacks carried out by militants in south Kashmir. He was accused of attacks on a number of political leaders, activists, and the security forces.

It is also said that he was an expert motivator and had got some 50 youths to join the militancy in Kashmir.&nbsp;

Tiger had also played a major role in the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/let-terrorists-escape-from-srinagar-hospital-sets-alarm-bells-ringing-32132">escape</a> of Pakistani commander Naveed Jatt from a Srinagar hospital in February this year.

After Tiger's killing, there are now three surviving militants from the Burhan group.&nbsp;These include Hizbul Chief Riyaz Naiku, Commander Saddam Padder, and Commander Zinat-Ul-Islam.&nbsp;

The security forces claim Sameer's killing is a big success for them and will help them control the militancy in south Kashmir.&nbsp;

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/in-and-a-difficult-out-of-south-kashmir-3206">In and a difficult out of south Kashmir</a>

The encounter 
On a tip-off about the presence of militants in Drabgaam village, security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in the village at around 9 am in the morning.&nbsp;

Contact with the militants was established at around 10 am after which a gunfight broke out and which continued till 2.15 pm.&nbsp;

The bodies of two terrorists have been recovered. Security forces have also recovered two AK 47 rifles and a huge cache of arms and ammunition from the site of the encounter. &nbsp;

The slain militants were identified by security forces as Sameer Bhat aka Tiger and Akib.&nbsp;

"At around 9 am in the morning we received information of militants' presence in Drabgaam village. Around 9.30 am we started cordon and at 10 am militants fired on us and showed their presence,. In initial fire, army's Major Shukla and his associate got injured. Militants tried to escape but we had tight cordon jointly by CRPF, 44 RR and Jammu and Kashmir police who fired and killed two militants. They were identified as Sameer Tiger and Akib.In this encounter, the two army personnel, including Major Rohit Shukla, got seriously injured," said Vinay Kumar, CO, 183 Battalion CRPF.&nbsp;

Massive protests and clashes with the security forces broke out after the encounter began when people in the area learnt that the trapped militants included Tiger.&nbsp;

One civilian was killed and 15 injured in the clashes.

'If he has drunk his mother's milk, tell him to come face me,' Commander Sameer Tiger had said in the video

Top Hizbul commander Sameer Tiger was killed in an encounter in Kashmir's Pulwama today. The army major leading the operation had, only 24 hours earlier, been threatened by Tiger in a video. The video soon went viral. In the video, Sameer can be seen interrogating an informer. He asks the informer for his name, and those of people working for the army in the area. He also tells the informer to not tell the army about the whereabout of militants. At the end of the video, Sameer (who is not visible) can be heard telling the informer: "Tell Shukla that the lion has not stopped hunting. They think the jungle belongs to them. Tell him to come face me." Shortly after the video went viral, Tiger was killed in the encounter. Major Shukla however was also critically injured. Shukla is posted with the 44 Rashtrya Rifles in Pulwama's Shadimarg area. Drabgaam village, from where Tiger hailed, falls under the jurisdiction of Shukla's unit. Shukla was on Monday injured in the upper chest and has been admitted to the 92 Base Army Hospital in Srinagar. Sameer was from the Burhaan group, the most-wanted group of militants led by former Hizbul posterboy Burhan Wani. Sameer joined the Hizbul on May 8, 2016. Before joining the militants' ranks, police records say a number of cases of protesting and stone pelting had been lodged against him at the Pulwama police station. Tiger was an A++ category militant and there was a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head. (Sameer Tiger aka Bhat.) Tiger would frequently upload videos and photos on social websites and was the first militant to post a picture of himself with an American M16 rifle. That revealed that Kashmiri militants had US-made weapons with them. According to the police, Tiger was the mastermind of almost all the major attacks carried out by militants in south Kashmir. He was accused of attacks on a number of political leaders, activists, and the security forces. It is also said that he was an expert motivator and had got some 50 youths to join the militancy in Kashmir. Tiger had also played a major role in the escape of Pakistani commander Naveed Jatt from a Srinagar hospital in February this year. After Tiger's killing, there are now three surviving militants from the Burhan group. These include Hizbul Chief Riyaz Naiku, Commander Saddam Padder, and Commander Zinat-Ul-Islam. The security forces claim Sameer's killing is a big success for them and will help them control the militancy in south Kashmir. Also read: In and a difficult out of south Kashmir The encounter On a tip-off about the presence of militants in Drabgaam village, security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in the village at around 9 am in the morning. Contact with the militants was established at around 10 am after which a gunfight broke out and which continued till 2.15 pm. The bodies of two terrorists have been recovered. Security forces have also recovered two AK 47 rifles and a huge cache of arms and ammunition from the site of the encounter. The slain militants were identified by security forces as Sameer Bhat aka Tiger and Akib. "At around 9 am in the morning we received information of militants' presence in Drabgaam village. Around 9.30 am we started cordon and at 10 am militants fired on us and showed their presence,. In initial fire, army's Major Shukla and his associate got injured. Militants tried to escape but we had tight cordon jointly by CRPF, 44 RR and Jammu and Kashmir police who fired and killed two militants. They were identified as Sameer Tiger and Akib.In this encounter, the two army personnel, including Major Rohit Shukla, got seriously injured," said Vinay Kumar, CO, 183 Battalion CRPF. Massive protests and clashes with the security forces broke out after the encounter began when people in the area learnt that the trapped militants included Tiger. One civilian was killed and 15 injured in the clashes.

Major who killed Hizbul commander in Kashmir's Pulwama had been threatened by him in viral video

Insha Mushtaq -- who became the face of Kashmir&#39;s pellet gun victims -- gave her class 10 exams on Wednesday.&nbsp;

Insha was blinded in 2016 in the massive protests that broke out after the killing of Hizbul Mujahadin commander Burhan Wani.

News reports quoted the 15-year-old as saying &quot;she would not give in to her disability&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;I want to overcome what pellets did to me. I want to be able to take control of my life again,&quot; the magazine Outlook quoted her as saying.&nbsp;

Insha is not yet completely proficient at braille and so a helper was provided to help her write her exams.

The Kashmir health department says around 10,000 people were wounded in the protests that erupted after Wani&#39;s killing, of which 6,205 were hit by pellets.

Of the 10,000 wounded, over a thousand suffered some degreee of visual impairment.

'I want to overcome what pellets did to me. I want to be able to take control of my life again,' the 15-year-old said

Insha Mushtaq -- who became the face of Kashmir's pellet gun victims -- gave her class 10 exams on Wednesday. Insha was blinded in 2016 in the massive protests that broke out after the killing of Hizbul Mujahadin commander Burhan Wani. News reports quoted the 15-year-old as saying "she would not give in to her disability". "I want to overcome what pellets did to me. I want to be able to take control of my life again," the magazine Outlook quoted her as saying. Insha is not yet completely proficient at braille and so a helper was provided to help her write her exams. The Kashmir health department says around 10,000 people were wounded in the protests that erupted after Wani's killing, of which 6,205 were hit by pellets. Of the 10,000 wounded, over a thousand suffered some degreee of visual impairment.

Face of Kashmir's pellet gun victims, Insha Mushtaq gives class 10 exams

India has lifted curfew from Kashmir, barring a few areas in the capital city of Srinagar, amid improving situations in the embattled region. 
 
Restrictions remain in place in downtown Srinagar and Harwan area of the city, Indian police said. Curbs remained in force in Harwan&nbsp;after a boy was killed in Indian security forces&#39; action on Friday. 
 
However, unlawful assembly of more than 10 people in an area, continues to remain in force. 
 
Normal life remained paralysed despite the 74-day curfew being lifted today (Tuesday), though there was increased traffic across the Valley. 
 
Postpaid mobile services resumed last night, while outgoing calls on prepaid numbers continued to remain out-of-bounds across the Valley. 
 
Indian authorities said the curfew was relaxed in view of improving security situation in the Valley. &nbsp; 
 
Sporadic incidents of stone pelting have been reported in Sopore and Shopian, but the state has remained largely peaceful, an unnamed police official told Indian media agency PTI.&nbsp; 
 
Despite the relaxation, separatists have refused to downscale their protest against the Indian government. They intend to carry on their protest campaign till September 22.&nbsp; 
 
Kashmir has been simmering ever since&nbsp;Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed by&nbsp;Indian security forces on July 8. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Restrictions remain in place in downtown Srinagar and Harwan area of the city and assembly of more than 10 people is still prohibited

India has lifted curfew from Kashmir, barring a few areas in the capital city of Srinagar, amid improving situations in the embattled region. Restrictions remain in place in downtown Srinagar and Harwan area of the city, Indian police said. Curbs remained in force in Harwan after a boy was killed in Indian security forces' action on Friday. However, unlawful assembly of more than 10 people in an area, continues to remain in force. Normal life remained paralysed despite the 74-day curfew being lifted today (Tuesday), though there was increased traffic across the Valley. Postpaid mobile services resumed last night, while outgoing calls on prepaid numbers continued to remain out-of-bounds across the Valley. Indian authorities said the curfew was relaxed in view of improving security situation in the Valley. Sporadic incidents of stone pelting have been reported in Sopore and Shopian, but the state has remained largely peaceful, an unnamed police official told Indian media agency PTI. Despite the relaxation, separatists have refused to downscale their protest against the Indian government. They intend to carry on their protest campaign till September 22. Kashmir has been simmering ever since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed by Indian security forces on July 8. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Curfew lifted from most parts of Kashmir