Army on Tuesday killed Kashmir’s longest surviving militant Abdul Qayoom Najar, 43, in border town of Uri in north Kashmir. A resident of Sopore town, he joined militancy barely at an age of 16. He was arrested in 1992 and later released. After his release, Najar recycled into the militancy in 1995. He had escaped from several security forces’ cordons and carried out major attacks in north Kashmir. He has survived due to his meticulous strategy and hiding his identity for all these years.
Active since 1995 and Qayoom was rising in the militant ranks and became chief operation commander of Hizbul Mujahideen. However, Najar led a rare rebellion in 2015 forming Lashker Islam outfit, seen as ultra radical in its approach and style.
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Najar’s name surfaced after the attacks on mobile towers in Sopore and its adjacent villages in April and May 2015. Later, according to the police his name was linked in the killings of sympathizers of Hurriyat Conference which rattled the separatists who condemned the killings and sought investigations at the highest level. Hizbul Mujahideen initially blamed Indian agencies for these attacks but later suspended Najar from Hizbul Mujahideen accusing him and his associate for carrying out the attacks.
A police spokesman here described Najar's killing as a very significant achievement for Police and security forces. He said he was killed in an encounter near Zorawar Post of Lachiproa Uri.
He says the militant who had exflitrated to Pak in 2015 was returning back to take command of Hizbul Mujahideen. "The killed commander was despatched by United Jehad Council Commander Syed Salah u din to revive the Hizb ul Mujahideen whose commanders of North Kashmir Pervaiz Wani Mubashir of South Kashmir and Yasin Yatoo got killed recently."
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"His return was also necessitated because of wiping out of HM from North Kashmir," the spokesman said. He said the killed militant was involved in dozens of killings of civilians, Police and Security forces. "He baptized into militancy after killing of then HM Chief Commander Majid Dar who had entered into dialogue process with Government of India in 2000," the spokesman said.
He said Najar was also involved in number of IED blasts carried out by Hizb in North Kashmir in Sopore, Pattan, Handwara and Baramulla. "He briefly fell out with Hizb and leadership in 2015 when he orchestrated multiple attacks on mobile towers and killing of some civilians affiliated with Hurriyat. He was recalled to base camp in Muzaffarabad, PoK to sort out the differences", the spokesman said.
