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Incidents and Statements involving Hizb-ul-Mujahideen: 2005-2012

2012

December 30: HuJI and HM have joined hands to generate fear among Kashmiris. The report said that the posters put up in the Jammu region by these two outfits have warned the locals from providing information to Security Forces. It also issued a threat to companies involved in railway construction work. The posters also reiterate the threat to panches (members of Gram Panchayat, village level local self Government institution) and sarpanches (heads of Gram Panchayat) to stop participating in the democratic process or face dire consequences.

December 27: SFs neutralized a hideout of militants and recovered arms and ammunition from village Pulsar in Bhimdassa locality in Gool area of Ramban District. The hideout was located at some distance from house of slain HM 'commander' Ghulam Qadir alias Tohid-ul-Islam.

December 20: Top 'commander' Chota Haafiz alias Shakir Ahmad, wanted in connection with September 7, 2011, Delhi High Court blast, was shot dead by the SFs at village Qadarna of Navapachi locality in Kishtwar District of J&K.

The serial blasts in the courts of Lucknow, Faizabad and Varanasi, according to ATS, were jointly carried out by HuJI and IM. ATS has also named seven Azamgarh-based alleged IM operatives.

December 17: The Interrogation Report of IM militant Fasih Mehmood, revealed a detailed account of IM's foundation, his first interaction with IM masterminds Yasin Bhatkal, Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal.

December 15: The judicial custody of five IM militants accused in Pune blast case and that of Fasih Mehmood was extended till December 17, 2012.

December 13: UMHA Sushilkumar Shinde said that HM and LeT outfits remain to be the dominant militant groups operating in parts of J&K despite improvement situation.

December 7: Kathmandu has been asked to strengthen its screening process along India-Nepal borders as HuM, LeT and JeM were using it to launch terror modules in India.

December 5: Drawing its cadres from LeT, JeM and HM, terrorist outfit HuA is resuming operations under a new name of Jabbar-ul-Mujahideen.

November 27: Replying to a question, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs R. P. N Singh told Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) that various terrorist groups, including Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Indian Mujahideen (IM) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) are engaged in terrorist activities in the country. "As per available information, militants/terrorists active in India are often supported by their parent outfits based abroad, particularly in Pakistan," he said. Singh said other terrorist outfits which are active in India include Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), Al-Umma, Al Badr, Harkat-ul-Jehadi-Islami (HuJI), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) and Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF).

November 16: HM denied its involvement into the November 15 liquor shop killing incident. HM in a statement said that it had nothing to do with the attack. The total number of persons killed in the incident is two.

November 15: Militants struck at three liquor shops on the bank of Dal Lake in Srinagar inside a Government run hotel, Heemal, killing an employee while injuring four others. HM spokesman Juniadul Islam while claiming the attack asked for closure of the liquor shops in the Valley.

Police arrested a HM militant who had recently infiltrated from PoK. Zahoor Ahmad Bhat of Shanoo Hardware in Kupwara was arrested by Police at Chotipora village.

November 7: Jatti border on Bihar-Kathmandu route is being used by LeT and HM militants to enter into India and reach Jammu and Kashmir.

November 5: Commenting upon the recent threats issued to Panch and sarpanches, by 'chairman' and 'supreme commander' of the HM Syed Salahuddin, J&K CM Omar Abdullah he do not know now why Syed Salahuddin has suddenly jumped on this bandwagon of issuing threats.

November 2: Supreme commander of the HM Syed Salahuddin issued fresh threat to the elected Panches and sarpanches asking them to either resign or face dire consequences.

October 30: According to the Police, around 18 youths from the Jammu and Kashmir have joined different militant groups during the year 2012. Most of these young persons have joined HM or LeT, two key militant outfits operating in the State.

Unconfirmed reports put the number of Kashmiri youth who have taken up gun in the past one year at more than 40.

October 23: Interrogation of three arrested Jammu and Kashmir Police constables reveals that HM was responsible for the assassination attempt on moderate Hurriyat leader Fazl-ul-Haq Qureshi.

October 19: SFs destroyed a hideout of HM militants at Kungam Bran forests under the jurisdiction of Kishtwar Police Station in Kishtwar District. Recoveries made from the hideout included three grenades of Chinese make, three wireless sets, two electronic detonators, one SLR magazine, 30 AK rounds, 50 PIKA rounds, one binocular and one weapon sight of unknown make.

October 16: HM militant, Junaid Akram Malik, who was one of the accused wanted by the NIA in connection with September 7, 2011, Delhi High Court blast case, has reportedly been killed by HM 'commanders' Jehangir Saroori and Shakir Ahmad alias Chotta Haafiz somewhere in forest areas of Kishtwar District of J&K.

October 13: The NIA, with the help of BSF and local Police, arrested one person, identified as Badal Sheikh from Manoharpur in Malda District (West Bengal) for his alleged links with HM. FICN INR 20,000 were recovered from his possession.

October 1: SFs killed five militants belonging to HM in Ganderbal District. Ganderbal SP, Shahid Meraj, said that four out of five were identified as Abu Bakar, Abu Khalid, Murtaza and Abdul Gazi. He said that five AK 47 rifles, 15 magazines, 2 UBGLs and scores of bullets were recovered from encounter site.

September 30: SFs arrested four HM militants, who were threatening Panchayat members, from Shopian District. Arms and ammunition including four AK 47 rifles, 16 magazines and 500 rounds of ammunition was recovered from the arrested militants.

SFs in Kishtwar District busted a hideout of two HM 'commanders', Mohammad Amin alias Jehangir and Shakir Hussain alias Chota Hafiz, wanted for their roles in September 7, 2011, Delhi High Court blast.

September 22: Police busted a HM module that was targeting Panches and Sarpanches in Tral area of Pulwama District by arresting its three cadres.

September 21: Minister of State for Home Affairs Ramachandran Mullappally said that the government received intelligence in July that LeT was conspiring to hijack a flight between New Delhi and Srinagar, most likely with HM assistance.

September 18: Banned HM terror outfit''s 'chief' Syed Salahuddin still remains faceless in the website of the NIA. CBI's website also does not have his image.

September 10: Principal Sessions Judge Shopian District, Shujat Ali Khan, awarded rigorous life-imprisonment to Mohd Ishaq Paul and five years rigorous imprisonment to Tariq Ahmed Sheikh, both HM militants and residents of Shopian.

September 9: SFs continued searches at various places including Dhanaka, Bhawani and Lamberhi in Nowshera sector of Rajouri District, Chamrerh forests on Rajouri-Poonch border and Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch District following reports about movement of the militants. However, no contact has been established with the militants so far at any of the places, sources said. The militants reportedly belonged to HM outfit and one or two of them were foreign mercenaries.

September 4: HM identified one of the militants killed in the encounter as Mushtaq Ahmed Khandey alias Zubair-ul-Islam, one of its 'commanders'.

August 27: The intelligence agencies have cautioned the Jammu and Kashmir Police to keep a close watch on the activities of HM and LeT who are trying to rope in surrendered militants back into their fold.

August 18: NIA has accused Syed Salahuddin, chief of the HM, and three Pakistanis of using a charity to fund terrorism in J&K.

August 11: Troops busted a hideout of HM militants at village Dhana in Mahore area of Reasi district and made recoveries from the hideout.

Police and Army destroyed HM hideout of the militants at Bhimdassa in Gool area of Ramban District. Recoveries made from the hideout included one Pika gun, one .303 rifle, four grenades of UBGL and one Chinese hand grenades.

August 6: Security Forces shot dead two HM militants and arrested another alive at Leddri forests in Dachchan area of Kishtwar District. The slain militants were identified as Aamir Ali Kamaal alias Aamir alias Akram and Mohammad Shaffi Hajam code Saqib. The arrested has been identified as Sajjad Ahmed alias Rezwan.

SFs shot dead two HM militants, identified as Aamir Ali Kamaal alias Aamir alias Akram and Mohammad Shaffi Hajam code Saqib and arrested another alive, identified as Sajjad Ahmed alias Rezwan in a three hours long encounter at Leddri forests in Dachchan area of Kishtwar District. Of the three, only Aamir was an accused in September 7, 2011, blast at Delhi High Court.

August 2: Secretary of State of the Department had also designated certain organisations as FTOs in accordance with Section 219 of the INA. Those designated as FTO included HuJI, HuM, JeM and LeT, which are also conducting terrorist activities in J&K State.

July 23: Three militants owing allegiance to the LeT and HM were among six persons pushed back by the Army soon after their infiltration along the LoC in Poonch District.

July 13: Security Forces neutralized a hideout of the HM militants at village Kalsant near Bihota in the Marmat area of Doda District and recovered a large quantity of arms and ammunition including seven rifles.

July 10: SFs in an encounter killed a HM 'commander', identified as Ghulam Nabi War, at village Hayan Palpora in Kangan area of Ganderbal District.

July 1: Army refused to allow two HM militants, who wanted to return to Surankote tehsil in Poonch District from near Chakan-Da-Bagh by crossing the LoC and surrender. Official sources said the militants were not allowed to return as they were trying to enter into Indian Territory from an "unauthorized route''. The militants had disclosed their identity to the Army as Nasir Hussain and Mohammad Farooq, residents of village Hari Marhot in Surankote tehsil. The Government had identified four points for return of the militants, hailing from Jammu and Kashmir, who had crossed over to Pakistan or PoK during past over two decades of militants, which included Chakan-Da-Bagh on Poonch-Rawlakote route, Uri-Muzaffarabad route in Kashmir, Wagah border in Amritsar and IGI Airport in New Delhi.

Army refused to allow two HM militants, who wanted to return to Surankote tehsil in Poonch District from near Chakan-Da-Bagh by crossing the LoC and surrender.

June 29: A former HM militant along with his Pakistani wife and two children have reached Kishtwar after fleeing from PoK and taking Nepal route to enter India.

June 22: Police said that the Policemen who were arrested for their links with militants had struck deal with terrorist groups for providing sensitive information and carrying their weapons from one place to another in lieu of money. Police said that on June 15, Muhammad Abas Rather of the CID was summoned for questioning regarding an incident. "During his search, police recovered a document written in Urdu containing information about how to prepare IEDs and how to use them. It indicated that the person was in league with militants and was planning to explode IEDs to terrorise people. Even though the person was with department of police and was an employee of the CID wing, he was in league with anti-national people and involved in terrorist activities," a remand application of Police reads. The accused, the application said, met HM militant Shabir Ahmad alias Adil in Tral area of Pulwama District. During the meeting, he demanded lakhs of rupees from the militant in lieu sharing information, it added.

"Then he met Muhammad Ilyas, Riyaz Ahmad and Mukhtar Ahmad Sheikh. It was decided that militants would be provided pictures of police officials and their residential houses. They also decided to provide information regarding movement of police officials in lieu of huge money," the application reveals. Moreover, the remand application said that during investigation it was found that Rather was involved in ferrying weapons from one place to another. The Police hinted that more arrests are expected. The court remanded the four accused cops till June 30.

June 21: Four Constables of J&K Police arrested for alleged militant links were found to be on a mission to orchestrate terror strikes to create chaos and mayhem in the state. According to the FIR, Police had recovered an Urdu document showing methods of making explosives from the main accused, Muhammad Abbas Rather. It added, "The arrested cops were taking money from militant outfit- HM in lieu of carrying weapons and providing sensitive information about the movement of police officers".

June 19: HM militant Shakeer Ahmad alias Chhota Hafiz, who was carrying a reward of INR two million on his head and was wanted to the NIA in connection with September 7, 2011, blast outside Delhi High Court, has sent feelers to the security agencies that he was ready for surrender along with some other militants on some conditions.

Confirming the conversation, top official sources said that Chhota Hafiz was presently hiding somewhere in Warwan hills in Kishtwar District. "Though we would like Chhota Hafiz and other militants to surrender and face trial in Delhi High Court blast and other cases, we continued our efforts to nab them simultaneously anticipating that offer of surrender by the militants could be a ploy to delay police operations'', they asserted.

Chhota Hafiz along with Aamir Kamal alias Kamran and Junaid Akram Malik were wanted to NIA in the Delhi High Court blast. All three carried a reward of INR two milion each on their head - INR 1 million announced by the NIA and an equal amount by the State Government. Sources said Chhota Hafiz, Kamran and Junaid Malik along with another HM militant, Mohammad Shaffi were all camping in upper reaches of Warwan but were putting up separately to avoid getting trapped together by the security forces.

June 16: Police have cracked a major network of HM in Police Department with the arrest of four Police Constables. Three constables, identified as Mohammad Abbas, Riaz Ahmad and Mohammad Ilyas, who had reportedly been passing on all sensitive information especially pertaining to deployment of Police and para-military personnel in Srinagar city to LeT militants, were arrested by the SFs. A team of NIA was also camping in Srinagar amidst reports that they too had inputs about the links of some Police personnel of Srinagar with the militants, mainly the HM outfit. A FIR against all three constables has been lodged at Shergarhi Police station.

The involvement these constables in the militancy surfaced few days back after attempt on the life of a former HM militant Ghulam Hassan Mir alias Shabnam at Saderbal, Hazratbal (Srinagar District) on June 7. Shabnam was shot at by five to six persons but he had survived the attack. Investigations by the police revealed that all five to six persons involved in the attack on the life of Shabnam were Police and CID constables, who were affiliated to HM and had carried out the attack on the instructions of one of their commanders.

Further, another Police constable, identified as Mukhtiar Sheikh was arrested on the basis of disclosure made by the previous three arrested constables. Sources said earlier Mukhtiar Sheikh was detained in the aftermath of 26/11 attacks in Mumbai for supplying SIM cards to LeT militants. But the case was dropped against him later on the ground that he was trying to infiltrate into the terror group.

June 13: HM militant, Ghulam Nabi Ganie (44), returned to India via Nepal and surrendered before Police in Anantnag District after spending two decades in PoK.

June 1: Police said that they arrested two suspects in connection with May 19, 2012, grenade attack on Sopore Police Station in Baramulla District. Police said that during the course of investigation it surfaced that one HM militant Javid Ahmad Matoo alias Saqib handed over a hand grenade to, Ishfaq Shafi Kana on May 18 at his house during evening. Police said that Ishfaq Kana along with one more culprit, Saleem Mushtaq Beigh jointly lobbed the grenade which exploded near the main gate of Police Station. Police said that on the basis of eye witnesses report, the duo was identified and subsequently arrested. The militant Javid Ahmad Matoo alias Saqib was injured during an attack on Police by militants on January 7, 2012. His weapon was recovered from the incidents site.

Army and Police neutralised a hideout of the militants inside a natural cave at Kharawah village in Gool area of Ramban District and recovered a consignment of arms and ammunition. The hideout belonged to HM militants Ghulam Qadir Malik alias Tohid-ul-Islam, who was killed in the same area in a joint action by Army and police on a week ago. Recoveries made from the hideout included one Pika gun, one AK-56 rifle, 18 rounds of Pika ammunition, 309 rounds of AK ammunition, six AK magazines and some war like stores.

Police said that they arrested two suspects in connection with May 19, 2012, grenade attack on Sopore Police Station in Baramulla District. Police said that during the course of investigation it surfaced that one HM militant Javid Ahmad Matoo alias Saqib handed over a hand grenade to, Ishfaq Shafi Kana on May 18 at his house during evening. Police said that Ishfaq Kana along with one more culprit, Saleem Mushtaq Beigh jointly lobbed the grenade which exploded near the main gate of Police Station. Police said that on the basis of eye witnesses report, the duo was identified and subsequently arrested. The militant Javid Ahmad Matoo alias Saqib was injured during an attack on Police by militants on January 7, 2012. His weapon was recovered from the incidents site.

May 31: Police arrested a HM terrorist, who was allegedly involved in the attack on the Sopore Police Station on January 7, 2012, from Jammu Railway Station along with his cousin as soon as they boarded off a train from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, Daily Excelsior. Wasim was hiding in a madarsa (seminary) at Azamgarh after fleeing from the Kashmir Valley following an attack on Sopore police station on January7, 2012. 23-year-old Wasim Bhat is a locally trained militant who began with Lashkr-e-Toiba (LeT) terror group and later switched his allegiance to HM.

May 26: A top HM 'commander', identified as Ghulam Qadir alias Tohid-ul-Islam, was killed in an encounter with SFs in Bhimdasa area in Ramban District.

May 21: SFs shot dead a top HM militant, identified as Akhtar Hussain, in an encounter at Pati Mahal in Kishtwar District.

May 19: Police in Tral arrested a HM militant identified, Tasaduk Rasool Mir.

May 18: HM has reportedly put up a poster in the Kishtwar District urging the surrendered terrorists to join back to fight for the Kashmir cause.

May 9: SFs neutralized a hideout of HM militant, Ghulam Qadir, at village Andernar in Sumbar area falling under the jurisdiction of Dharamkund Police Station in Ramban District.

May 4: Army and SOG destroyed a HM hideout along KP Nullah in Sabjian area of Poonch District.

May 3: Nine HM militants along with their equal number of wives and 22 children were being shifted to Srinagar for sustained interrogation on transit remand from village Sonouli in Uttar Pradesh, where they were arrested on India-Nepal border.

According to State Home Ministry, as many as 18 convicts, including one Pakistani militant, Sonaullah of HM, are serving life imprisonment for their involvement in terror activities in J&K.

April 29: SFs have once again stepped up searches for three most wanted militants in Kishtwar District, who remained elusive even after more than seven months of being declared as wanted in a powerful blast outside Delhi High Court on September 7, 2011. The three militants, identified as Shakeer Ahmed alias Chotta Haafiz, Aamir Kamal alias Kamran and Junaid Akram Malik, all residents of Kishtwar, are wanted by the NIA and carry head money of INR 1 million each. Another militant, Mohammad Shaffi, who was being searched in upper reaches of Kishtwar though not being involved in Delhi blast, was reportedly accompanying the wanted trio, sources said.

April 22: Police arrested two OGWs of HM, identified as Masood Ahmad Geelani and Zahoor Ahmad, along with INR 45,000 from Laribal in the Handwara area of Kupwara District.

April 20: Police arrested 'divisional commander' of HM-south Kashmir, identified as Latif Ahmed Dar alias Massod Saini who was mastermind behind last month's IED blast in Bijbehara (March 22, 2012) in Anantnag District. He was arrested from Litter area of Pulwama District.

April 17: A Delhi court commenced the trial of a close aide of APHC-G leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Ghulam Mohd Bhat, and three others, for allegedly running a hawala (illegal money transfer) racket to fund HM in J&K. The three other accused include Mohammad Siddiq Ganai, Ghulam Jeelani Liloo and Farooq Ahmed Dagga. The court had framed charges against all the four accused under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on March 3, 2012.

April 15: HM chief Syed Salahuddin described India-Pakistan "peace plan" as an attempt to "freeze the Kashmir issue" and asked Kashmiri separatists to be united against this "conspiracy" for "isolating Kashmiris".

April 3: SFs recovered a large quantity of arms and ammunition from a hideout of the HM militant, Qari Zubair, at village Tanki, about six kilometers from Banihal town in Ramban District.

April 1: Government refuted HM chief Syed Salahudin's claim of withdrawing his cadres from the Kashmir Valley and called it as the outfit's diversionary tactics MHA officials said that there was definite report that the HM cadres were very much "alive and kicking" in the Valley, looking for opportunity to strike big if security personnel lower their guards.

Salahudin, in an interview on April 1, claimed that the outfit had withdrawn its cadres to border areas after massive protests that rocked the Valley between 2008 and 10.

March 22: DGP Kuldeep Khoda while conceding that Pakistan-based terror outfits, like LeT and HM were still operating in Jammu and Kashmir, said that there has been a drop of 50 percent in terrorist violence in first three months of 2012.

March 21: A fast-track court in Ajmer handed a 10-years jail sentence to two militants, Shabir Ahmed Ratar and Ravindra Mali, and a seven-year sentence to two others, Mujib Ahmed alias Ahmed bhai and Mohammad Yasin, for smuggling weapons, including an AK 47 rifle, from Jammu and Kashmir to Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) and for conspiracy.

Shabir was a member of JKLF and was involved in terrorist activities. Ahmed was a cadre of the HM, a Kashmiri militant group, which was planning an attack in Hyderabad, Police claimed.

Union Minister of State for Home Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha (upper house of Parliament) said that HM accounts for nearly 35-40 per cent of all terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and is the "most active" outfit in the Valley next to LeT in terms of strength and capability to carry our terror strikes.

Indian militant groups are using a video of slain al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden for recruiting, said intelligence sources, UPI reports. Both HuJI and HM are using the video, said intelligence officials.

March 13: The NIA filed its first charge sheet in the September 7, 2011 Delhi High Court blast case, indicting six persons who according to the agency aimed to threaten the Judiciary so as to get December 13, 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's death sentence commuted. the blast, which killed 17, was a HM plot' to threaten the India's Judiciary.

March 9: Three family members (Tasleema Begum- wife, mother and father-in-law) of HM militant Shakir Hussain alias Chotta Hafiz, wanted by NIA in connection with the Delhi High Court blast (September 7, 2011), have been detained by Police at Tatapani belt in Kishtwar District.

NIA and local Police are frantically searching for three most wanted terrorists of HM, involved in the Delhi HC blast case. Apart from Chotta Hafiz, others are HM militants- Junaid Akram Malik and Kamran.

February 20: NIA arrested a person in connection with September 7, 2011 blast outside Delhi High Court from Kishtwar District. The arrested person has been identified as Mohammad Ayub. Official sources said that a SIM card used by HM militant Mohammad Amin alias Jehangir Rashid had been issued on the name of Mohammad Ayub. The NIA has already arrested three blast suspects from Kishtwar while three others were declared as absconders.

Troops of RR and Police destroyed a HM militant hideout at Krandi Dhar in Doda District.

February 19: Police arrested two militants Naseer Ahmad Bhat of HM and Atiqullah Malik of Al-Badar of at Handwara in Kupwara District.

January 29: HM has claimed responsibility for the attack on Lieutenant General Bikram Singh in 2001 when he was a Brigadier in South Kashmir.

January 24: SFs recovered a cache of arms, ammunition and explosive material during two different search operations conducted in Budhal and Thanna Mandi areas of Rajouri District. The seizure belonged to LeT and HM outfits.

January 13: Mohammad Rafiq alias Rafi, the SPO arrested along with five others, was reportedly engaged in espionage, according to. There were reports that he had developed contacts with Pakistan Army, ISI and militant 'commanders' of LeT and HM during his stay in Pakistan, before returning to India and joining the services. This aspect was, however, yet to be confirmed by Police.

Parveen Akhter, wife of Mohammad Azam of Mendhar in Poonch District, has turned out to be another woman militant with confirmed involvement of her links with a Pakistan based militant of LeT outfit, also named as Mohammad Azam. Police arrested Parveen Akhter along with Bashir Akhter of Qasba in Poonch District. During questioning, Parveen Akhter alias Parveena is said to have disclosed that Mohammad Azam used to smuggle weapons from PoK up to the LoC at fixed spots in Poonch District. Parveena picked up the weapons, FICNs, SIM cards and other material from the LoC and supplied them to militants, including Mohammad Hafiz of Surankote. Hafiz has already been arrested by Srinagar Police.

January 5: Bandipora Police neutralized two militant modules, one each of LeT and HM, who were planning the target killings in the District. Superintendent of Police (Bandipora) Bashir Ahmed Khan said that Police arrested six youths in two separate raids from Hajin area of Sonawari in the District. They were affiliated with HM and LeT. Khan said that Police arrested a youth, identified as Fayaz Ahmed of village Hajin. He said that during the questioning Fayaz disclosed that he was working with the HM since last nine months. Khan said that on his disclosure, Police arrested two of his accomplices from Hajin. They have been identified as Zubair Ahmed Parray. Khan said that the trio confessed that they were working with the HM and were recruiting the youth into militant ranks. During the questioning they said that they were tasked to kill some influential political workers and Police personnel in the District. A matrix sheet and list of people of few political workers and police personnel were recovered from their possession, Khan added.

Police neutralized an LeT module, believed to be planning target killings, operating in Sonawari area and arrested three militants, identified as Zahoor Ahmed Dar, Ghulam Muhammad Bhat and Nissar Ahmed Ganie. Zahoor Ahmad Dar had visited Pakistan at the behest of LeT for computer training in May 2011. After staying in training camps for 15 days he returned back. Later, Zahoor Ahmed contacted a surrendered militant, Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, for sending across some educated youths for computer and arms training. Ghulam Mohammed motivated Nissar Ahmed Dar at the behest of Zahoor Ahmed and sent him across for computer training and was transporting money and other material for the LeT cadres. These youths were assigned the job of targeting political activists and police personnel in the District. The arrested militants had earlier threatened Panches and Sarpanches during 2011 Panchayat elections.

2011

December 25: SFs in Baramulla District arrested a HM militant, Manzoor Ahmad Lone, and recovered arms and ammunition from his possession. A revolver and two Chinese hand grenades were recovered from his possession, Police said.

December 23: SFs arrested three HM militants, identified as Mohammad Amir Mir alias Umar Jan, Tariq Ahmad Bhat alias Mohammad Saleem and Fayaz Ahmad Mir alias Umar from Kreeri area of Baramulla District and recovered arms and ammunition from them, reports Daily Excelsior. Three pistols, three pistol magazines and 12 pistol rounds were recovered from their possession.

December 22: Two HM militants were arrested by the Police from Bandipora District. It has been reported that they had infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan using Nepal route.

Troops neutralized a hideout of slain HM 'commander' Qari Zubair [Zubair was killed in February 2011] at Orka, about six kilometers from Banihal, in Doda District. Recoveries made from the hideout included three blankets, 10 liters jerry can, a large quantity of ration items, one radio set antenna, utensils, battery charger, shoes and LPG cylinders.

Police arrested a BSNL employee, Sajad Ahmad Dar, for providing SIM cards on fake names to the HM militants in Sopore are of Baramulla District. Dar was working with BSNL Sopore as a consolidated employee. He had provided 10 SIMs and one Wireless in Local Loop (WLL) connection to HM militants operating in Sopore. Dar is an IT expert and has been working for HM militant network for about a year. Police are working out whether he was planted by the HM in the BSNL or he was trapped by them after he joined the BSNL. Superintendent of Police (Sopore) Imtiaz Ahmad Mir said that there are other people also who are involved in helping the HM militants to get BSNL SIM cards. "However, they have not been arrested yet. Police is also investigating that who were the militants who were using these SIM cards", he added. Early in February, Police claimed to have arrested a BSNL employee Ali Muhammad Bhat in Anantnag District along with four petrol bombs, a binocular and a HM letter pad from him. But later Bhat was let off by the Police after they found his no links with the militants. However, the departmental enquiry against the employee is still going on. The Union Home Ministry has issued strict instructions to cellular operators in the State to ensure that the SIM cards may not fall in militant hands. As part of that move, in September 2011, 200000 SIM cards were blocked by various cellular operators in the State after they were found to have improper registration.

December 18: SFs arrested two HM militants, identified as Fayaz Ahmad Bhat and Manzoor Ahmed Ammnar, from Baramulla District. Police said that two pistols, two pistol magazines, 12 rounds of pistol ammunition and two hand grenades were recovered from their possession.

December 15: Police also neutralized an HM module operating in Tral area of Pulwama District. DySP Perweiz said that Police arrested Aadil Ahmad Reshi, Mujeeb-ul-Rashid alias Juj Peer, Mehraj-ud-Din Dar alias Sif and Mohammad Iqbal Sheikh alias Altaf. One rocket shell, one hand grenade, seven AK rounds, one pouch and an HM letter pad were also recovered from their possession. The module was working for a local HM District Commander and most wanted militant of Tral area, Shabir Ahmad alias Adil alias Chota Shabir. They were also threatening recently elected Panches and Sarpanches by way of posting HM posters in the area.

Elsewhere, Police and Army arrested a Pakistan trained HM militant, Manzoor Ahmad Lone alias Jehangir, near Khakipora, Krimhoora in Handwara (Kupwara District). One fake identity card and PKR 500 was recovered from his possession. The militant had ex-filtrated in 1999 to Pakistan and infiltrated back recently.

December 13: Three militants were arrested by Police in Baramulla District. Police said that two militants, identified as Mohammad Rafiq Lone of HM and Ejaz Ahmad Shah of Al-Baraq, were arrested during vehicle checking near Muqam Crossing. Police said that two pistols, two magazines and six pistol rounds were recovered from the arrested militants. Pattan Police arrested another HM militant, identified as Mohammad Yousuf Bhat, along with his wife near Rangee Mode. Police said that the couple had recently infiltrated into the Kashmir valley. Sources said that Bhat had gone to Pakistan for arms training a decade ago and married there. He along with his wife returned to Kashmir through Nepal, the sources added. One revolver, three rounds and one hand grenade were from the possession of Bhat.

Investigations revealed that a HM militant, Billal Ahmed, who was one of the associates of three militants wanted by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) in connection with September 7 blast outside Delhi High Court, had trapped Special Police Officer (SPO) Mohammad Hanief and killed him in Kishtwar in the night of December 10. The militant had also taken away an official weapon (AK-47) of the SPO. Investigations also revealed that Billal Ahmed, who had been recycled into militancy after surrender, had been working as a source of Police giving specific inputs about movement of the militants to the Police. According to official sources, Billal had been won over by the militants once again.

December 11: J&K Minister for Rural Development and Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Sagar escaped an attempt on his life by militants who attacked his entourage as he arrived at his Nawab Bazaar residence in Nawakadal area of Srinagar killing one PSO, Gulzar Ahmad, while two other PSOs and a civilian were injured in the firing incident.

No militant organization has claimed responsibility for the attack so far but the security agencies said that LeT and HM have been operating in Srinagar and they suspected that they could be behind the attack. This is second attack on any NC leader in past two weeks and third in J&K during past fortnight.

December 8: The NIA has said that HM backed and PoK based Jammu and Kashmir Affectees Relief Fund Trust (JKART) is funding terror in Jammu and Kashmir. The agency, which registered an FIR under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), named two Pakistani nationals who are heading the JKART. Chairman of the trust Mahboob-ul-Haq and general secretary Masroor Dar have been named by the NIA in the FIR. The two are reportedly close to HM chief Syed Salahuddin and are responsible for transfer of money to their cadres in the Valley and PoK. The agency is learnt to have picked up a conversation where the two named in the FIR can be heard allegedly directing cadres to provide logistical support and money to terrorists in the Valley.

Investigators allege that JKART has pumped in more than INR 800 million into the Valley in the name of relief and rehabilitation work, diverted to finance terror. Founded in 1990, the JKART runs a refugees camp in PoK. According to NIA's FIR, in October the NIA received credible information about illegal funding by HM in J&K to mujahideen who are fighting against the Indian Security Forces. "Investigation so far has revealed that apart from banking channels, terrorists across the border have used hawala [illegal money transfer] channel and human couriers," said a NIA official.

NIA has unearthed a hawala operation of front organisations of Pakistan-based terror outfits LeT and HM for providing money to families of terror operatives killed all over India.

December 5: Reports indicate that a number of militants from Kashmir Valley and others parts of the State, including undivided Doda District and twin border Districts of Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region, have also managed to get passports in Pakistan and were awaiting an opportunity to fly either to Dhaka in Bangladesh or Kathmandu in Nepal to cross over to India to reach Jammu and Kashmir.

December 4: Militants shot at and critically injured a NC block president in the downtown Srinagar. The victim, identified as Ghulam Ahmad Lone, is the president of the Safa Kadal block in Srinagar. Islamic Movement of Kashmir, an unknown militant outfit, has owned responsibility for the attack. They have threatened to carry out such kind of targeted attacks in Kashmir. The security agencies said this might be a shadow outfit of either LeT or HM. They said they are carrying out the investigations about this unknown group.

November 23: SFs neutralized a hideout of the HM militants and recovered a large quantity of explosive material at Ari in Mandi sector of Poonch District. The recoveries included two RPG shells, four pressure IEDs, four IED fuses, one UBGL grenade, one battery IED and some other explosive material and ammunition.

November 17: SF shot dead a 'commander' of HM, identified as Munir Kalas, in an encounter in the Shopian District.

November 15: A SPO was killed while a 'divisional commander' of HM and one of the alleged conspirators of September 7 Delhi High Court blast, Mohammad Amin Bhat alias Jehangir Saroori, escaped along with his body-guard, Mohammad Riaz, after a heavy exchange of gun battle between the SFs and militants at Darang forests in Dachchan Haddal area of Kishtwar District. DIG, Doda-Kishtwar Range) Manish Kumar Sinha said Saroori, a resident of Saroorh (Kishtwar) along with his body-guard, a March 2010 recruit and a resident of Anzar, opened fire on the SFs after observing their movement. The SFs retaliated. In the exchange of firing, SPO Billal Ahmed was killed while Saroori and his body-guard managed to escape along with arms and ammunition leaving their other belongings on the incident site. The SFs, however, have still maintained a cordon at six to seven places in the forests of Dachchan area to trace the militant who was active in militancy since 1990.

HM supremo and UJC chief Syed Salahudin and Jehangir Saroori had reportedly masterminded the High Court blast in which three more HM militants were still absconding. The absconders, on whose head the NIA had kept a reward of INR 1 million, included Junaid Akram Malik, brother of Wasim Akram Malik, who has already been arrested, Aamir Kamal alias Kamran and Sheikh Rashid alias Chota Hafiz alias Adil. All three were also reported to be operating in Dachchan, Marwah and Warwan areas of Kishtwar after Delhi High Court blast. Besides Wasim Akram Malik, two more militants Hafiz Aamir Abbas Dev and Abid Hussain have been arrested by the NIA. All three arrested militants were residents of Kishtwar while three absconders were also camping in Kishtwar's upper reaches. Two foreign militants, who had transported explosive material and reportedly planted the IED, were also at large.

November 13: The SFs neutralized a hideout of HM militants at village Sil Comma in the Budhal area of Rajouri District and recovered a cache of arms, ammunition and explosive material. The recovery included one Pakistan made pistol, two pistol magazines, 70 rounds of 9-mm pistol, 40 AK rounds, one AK magazine, five UBGL grenades, one I Com set, one Panasonic tape recorder, one civil bag of black color, a combat pouch, one medical bottle containing red liquid, one cap and a 10 feet rope.

November 2: Police arrested two HM militants, who had helped the militants involved in September 7, 2011 blast outside Delhi High Court, from Ramnagar area of Udhampur District. Reports said two persons, identified as Manzoor Ahmed and Mushtaq Ahmed, residents of village Majori in Ramnagar tehsil (revenue unit) of Udhampur District were arrested up by Kishtwar Police. Kishtwar Police was questioning the two suspects to get clues about three HM militants to whom they had reportedly given shelter. The militants, who had reportedly stayed in the dhoks of Manzoor Ahmed and Mushtaq Ahmed, included Junaid Akram Malik, Aamir Ali Malik alias Kamran and Sheikh Shakeel alias Chotta Hafiz, all three belonging to HM. Wasim Malik, Abid Hussain and Haafiz Aamir Abbas Dev are three militants, who have so far been arrested in connection with Delhi blast. All of them hailed from Kishtwar.

October 25: SFs joined searches launched by Police to apprehend three most wanted militants involved in a blast outside Delhi High Court on September 7 that killed 15 civilians and injured 80 others. The searches are being conducted in upper reaches of Kishtwar where three wanted militants of HM outfit including Junaid Akram Malik, Shakir Hussain Sheikh alias Chotta Hafiz alias Adil and Aamir Ali Kamal alias Kamran were reportedly hiding.

October 22: Wasim Akram Malik, who masterminded the Delhi High Court (DHC) blast of September 7, 2011 has revealed that the attack was carried out by two Pakistanis from Lahore District of Punjab province, reported The Times of India. According to sources, Wasim identified the two DHC bombers as Saifullah and Bilal, both Lahore residents. Although Wasim feigned ignorance about the affiliations of the two bombers with terror groups, the National Investigative Agency (NIA) team and the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Police handling the case suspect that the two could be linked with either Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) or Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Sources said that the chief conspirator was encouraged by the lax security arrangements at the HC. Wasim's younger brother Junaid, allegedly a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) member and a co-accused in the case, had conducted a reconnaissance visit on the court premises in June 2011 and noticed the absence of Police pickets around the complex.

October 21: NIA disclosed for the first time terror outfit HM role in the September 7, 2011 Delhi High Court Blast incident and issued a 'wanted' notice for three of its cadre - all residents of Kishtwar. Through the notice, it sought public help to trace them, saying they played a "crucial role" in the conspiracy. The fugitives include 19-year-old Junaid Akram Malik, younger brother of Wasim Akram Malik, Shakir Hussain Sheikh alias Chota Hafiz (26) and Amir Ali Kamal (25). Wasim, a medical student in Bangladesh, is presently in NIA custody in Delhi. While Sheikh has been active in the Kashmir Valley since 2005, Kamal has been operating since 2008. The NIA also announced a cash reward of INR 1 million each for any information leading to their arrest. The agency also said that the three were involved in "several terrorist related cases in Kishtwar region". Sources said the names of these three HM terrorists had first surfaced during the questioning of the outfit's overground cadre Azhar Ali, who is presently in Kotbalwal jail in Jammu for his alleged role as 'financier' and 'recruiter' for the terror group. It was subsequently corroborated by Wasim who was arrested by the NIA.

October 21: SFs arrested a HM militant, Abdul Gani Deedad alias Abu Salfi, from Rajpora area of Pulwama District. One AK-47, two magazines and 207 live rounds along with one UBGL and three Chinese grenades were recovered from his possession. Police said the militant was active in the area since last three months and was involved in a number of cases of extortion as well as in the killing of one Irshad Ahmed Kohli on September 13, 2011 at Namblan Sangerwani in the area.

October 19: United Jihad Council (UJC), an amalgam of 13 militant groups, chairman and HM 'supreme commander' Syed Salah-ud-Din has asked separatist leaders not to enter in to any kind of bilateral dialogue with New Delhi. "I appeal to both factions of Hurriyat Conference and other separatists groups to remain away from bilateral dialogue process with New Delhi. As Government of India was never sincere to solve Kashmir through dialogue," he was quoted as saying. He advised the separatist forces in the State to unite. "Re-unification of Hurriyat has become inevitable in the larger interests of the movement. We will continue our efforts to see Hurriyat becoming one again," he added. He said the time has come when there is need for a state wide movement both at political and militant fronts. He warned, "Let me tell you that we can revive our attacks in any part of the state within 24-hours."

October 19: HM is slowly fading away as its remaining 'commanders' and cadres are being taken out on a regular interval by Security Forces. According to estimates available, there is hardly over two dozen active militants left in HM, the biggest indigenous militant group ever in Kashmir. Even the remaining militants have not resorted to any major action in months now. "They are basically reduced to throwing occasional grenades or random firing, even those are very rare," an unnamed senior official said on the plight of HM.

October 13: Police arrested HM militant, identified as Abdul Majeed Bhat alias Khurshid, in the Handwara area of Kupwara District.

The General Officer Commanding (GOC, Victor Force) Major General Gurdeep Singh said that the October 12 killing of HM 'district commander' Mushtaq alias Mushtaq Killer is a big success for the SFs in the Ganderbal District.

October 12: SFs in an ongoing operation eliminated HM 'district commander', Mushtaq Khan alias Mushtaq Janghi alias Mushtaq Killer, in an operation in Gutlibagh forests of Ganderbal District. An associate of Mushtaq Killer was also killed in the encounter but he has not been identified as yet. Another fleeing militant, identified as Muzaffar, was arrested by the SFs.

October 11: GOC of Srinagar-based 15 Corps Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain said, "the counter-infiltration grid has been redoubled to meet the challenge of infiltration putting the number of militants killed this year 80. He said 30 to 40 militants have managed to infiltrate. He said forces have an opportunity to "break the back of militancy" in the State as 19 top militant 'commanders' of LeT and HM have been killed so far this year. "There is a realisation that 2011 is an important year. We can actually break the back of militancy this year... If they cannot bring militants in (to Kashmir) by next year, I can assure you we have turned the tables in Kashmir," he added.

October 9: The SFs killed two HM militants in the forests of Kangan in Ganderbal District. Identify of the two militants whose aliases were Obaid and Tahla could not be ascertained.

A HM militant, identified as Azad Hussain (code name Waseem), was eliminated in Marmat area of Doda District.

October 8: The NIA has launched a manhunt to trace Kashmiri medical student Wasim Akram Malik's younger brother Junaid Akram, a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant, for his direct involvement in the Delhi High Court blast on September 7. The agency had arrested Wasim on October 7.

October 7: Security Forces arrested a HM militant, Hilal Ahmad Khanday, from Achhabal in Anantnag District.

In third major arrest in Delhi High Court blast case (September 7, 2011), the National Investigating Agency (NIA) arrested a Kashmiri youth, who was pursuing studies at Dhaka in Bangladesh from New Delhi soon after he alighted from a flight at IGI airport in the capital. The arrestee, identified as Wasim Akram Malik, a resident of Kishtwar District in Jammu and Kashmir was arrested following clues gathered during investigations by the NIA that he was a key conspirator in the blast along with his brother, Junaid Akram Malik, a 'commander' of the militant outfit HM, who was absconding.

September 30: The NIA questioned Azhar Ali, a militant of HM for second consecutive day in connection with the Delhi High Court blast case at Kot Bhalwal high security jail near Jammu.

September 26: SFs arrested a (HM militant, identified as Showkat Ahmad Dar alias Abrarul Islam, along with his two OGWs at Samboora in the Pampore area of Pulwama District. Police said one of the trios, who were travelling in a car, attempted to lob a grenade towards the Police party when they were asked to stop. Police said one AK rifle, three AK magazines, 120 AK rounds, one pouch, one pistol, one pistol magazine, six pistol rounds and two hand grenades were recovered from their possession.

Setember 14, 2011: Police said they have arrested a conduit of HM from Pattan area of Baramulla District. One Chinese pistol, a pistol magazine, eight rounds of pistol ammunition and two hand grenades were recovered from his possession. The arrestee, identified as Nisar Ahmad Bhat, who was one of the main accused in 2010 summer unrest, according to Police claim had unfurled Pakistani flag at Clock Tower in the Lal Chowk on September 12, 2010 on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr and is involved in participating in the arson of the headquarters of Crime branch of Jammu and Kashmir Police and Chief Engineer, Power Development Department (PDD) at Jehangir Chowk on September 12.

September 8: According to a US cable, Srinagar-based separatist leader Yasin Malik, who heads the JKLF, told the US that he had used his March-April 2006 visit to Pakistan to reach out to Kashmiri militant leaders, counseling them to lay down arms and give the peace process a chance.

The cable also stated that JKLF secretary general Mohammed Rafiq Dar said the confusion in the United Jihad Council (UJC) - a conglomerate of leaders of militant groups active in Kashmir - created an opening for Malik to advocate a ceasefire. For instance, Dar said Malik held several conversations with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) leader and UJC chairman Syed Salahuddin, who said he joined the protest in response to Pakistan's orders out of comradeship. The US embassy adds a note to Salahuddin's statement saying, "The syntax of Salahuddin's remark suggesting that militancy will naturally die off if only the militants were given a seat at the table indicates that it was lifted straight from Malik's talking points, which paraphrase Musharraf's own thinking."

September 1: Security Forces launched a search operation in remote village of Kalwa in Mahore tehsil (revenue unit) of Reasi District after developing a specific input about presence of three HM militants in the area. One of them has been identified as Gulzar Ahmed, who had reportedly returned from Pakistan and was camping in Mahore for past quite some time.

August 29: Police recovered a consignment of arms and ammunition from Chikka Khet in Pir Panjal range under the jurisdiction of Budhal Police Station in Rajouri District. A hideout of the militants belonging to HM was destroyed in the operation. Recoveries made from the hideout included two pistols with six rounds and two magazines, one PIKA belt, 30 PIKA rounds and a large quantity of assorted ammunition, ration items and other belongings of the militants.

August 28: The hawala money (illegal transfer of money) supplied by Pakistan for the militant 'commanders' and separatists through cross-Line of Control (LoC) trade route of Uri (India)-Muzaffarabad (Pakistan) has been worked out around INR 60-70 million. Some weapons had also been smuggled under the cover of trade items from the same route.

Interrogation of the arrested persons and investigations by the intelligence agencies have revealed that Firdous Ahmed Dar, earlier arrested on August 20, was not the only conduit but nearly half a dozen persons had received hawala money and weapons through the cross-LoC route which had been supplied by Pakistani agencies. Sources said the cash received by the conduits had been distributed among the militant 'commanders' and the separatists according to directions received by them from across the LoC. The 'commanders' of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and separatists affiliated to All Party Hurriyat Conference-Geelani (APHC-G) were major beneficiaries of the cash sent by Pakistan through the cross-LoC route. Firdous Ahmed Dar along had admitted having received INR 15 million through cross-LoC route of Uri-Muzaffarabad. Of this amount, he had distributed INR 300000 to Aiyaz Akbar, the spokesman of APHC-G and a trusted lieutenant of its chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, in three equal installments of INR 100000 each.

August 24: Dead bodies of two brothers, identified as Bashir Ahmed and Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din, residents of village Avdesh in Mahore area of Reasi District, were recovered on August 24. The bodies were found inside a tree at Ranji forests in the Gulabgarh area of the District where they had been killed on June 4, 2007. The bodies of duo, both of whom were Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers, were found on the disclosures of surrendered HM militant Mohammad Rafiq alias Basharat. The report said that the duo was abducted and subsequently killed by Basharat and his associates for not following their dictates of joining militancy. Basharat also admitted killing of one more civilian of village Badar about four years back.

SFs at village Daroo in Pulwama District arrested two HM 'commanders' and recovered huge cache of arms and ammunition from their possession. The arrestees, identified as 'district commander' Shabir Ahmad Kalas alias Waseem, and 'group commander' Liyaqat Ahmad Gorsi alias Umar, were arrested from one Doka belonging to Mohammad Shafi Bokada alias Pital. The recoveries include two rockets, 300 AK rounds, one SLR, one SLR magazine, one pistol, one pistol magazine, two Chinese grenades, 61 PIKA rounds belt, 33 PIKA rounds, four UBGL grenades, one weapon cleaning tool, one USB data cable, 47 letter pads of HM outfit, Rs. 50 Indian currency, one identity card, one tape recorder cassette, two clips, one Urdu book and one diary.

August 23: SFs neutralized a major hideout of the militants in Gangra Pattri forests in the higher reaches of Mahore in Reasi District and recovered a large quantity of arms and ammunition. Recoveries included 60 kilograms of RDX powder, one PIKA gun, one RPF launcher, one 303 LMG (MK-3), two Chinese pistols, eight steel box containers, 1124 AK rounds, 415 PIKA rounds, 25 SLR rounds, 89 pistol (9-mm) rounds, 19 pistol (5.56-mm) rounds, 19 Chinese grenades, one HE-36 grenade, one RPG shell, two Army telephones with receivers, 32 rifle grenades, three pistol magazines, 21 AK magazines, two LMG magazines and one INSAS magazine, 32 detonators, one smoke grenade, one AD mine, six cartridges of 12 bore gun, 10 striking pin of grenades, one magnifying glass, 11 IED batteries, one bundle electric wire, five fully assembled IED circuits, 28 switches, two meters cortex wire, three grenade throwers, 10 RPGL rockets, three shells, one Motorola battery, two wireless sets with batteries in damaged condition, half kilograms of iron pieces for manufacturing IEDs, one Sintex tank and three pencil boxes. An identity card of a militant, Manzoor Ahmed, code Saddam, and some incriminating documents were also recovered from the hideout and was being used as a sources for supply of arms, ammunition and explosive material to the militants at different places. Sources said disclosures about the hideout were also made by four surrendered militants of HM.

August 18: Police claim to have wiped out Hizb-ul-Mujahidin (HM) group from Kulgam-Reasi belt. Inspector General of Police (IGP, Jammu) Dilbagh Singh said that with the surrender of four HM militants (it was reported yesterday) the militancy in Reasi District has been completely wiped out. He said that as per inputs, 39 militants were active in Jammu region, including three from Kathua, who were presently putting up in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). He said that out of 36, 27 are locals while the remaining are foreigners.

August 17: SFs neutralized a hideout of the HM militants and recovered arms and ammunition in Khanetar Top in Poonch District. The recoveries included one radio transistor Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) with five kilograms of RDX, one Tiffin IED with three kilograms of RDX, two radio sets, two Chinese grenades, one jacket, one bag, 10 cells, 54 rounds of AK-56, one bag and two walkmans used for timer devices.

Four HM militants, operating in Reasi District, have reportedly surrendered before the SFs at village Hakawas, the border of Reasi-Kulgam Districts, falling under the jurisdiction of Damhal Police Station of Kulgam District. The militants, all belonging to Mahore, were identified as Mohammad Rafiq alias, Rashid alias Hakim alias Bashir, Mohammad Shaffi alias Billal and Mohammad Maqbool. The militants surrendered along with a large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosive devices. Sources said a number of elderly citizens worked behind the scene for ensuring surrender of the militants.

August 13: SF recovered two decomposed bodies of militants from upper reaches of mountainous Kishtwar District. "On specific inputs regarding movement of militants in upper reaches of Kishtwar, search was launched this morning and during searches, the patrol party recovered two decomposed bodies along with weapon," official sources said. One AK-47 rifle was also recovered from their possessions. "Their identities are yet to be ascertained". SFs later confirmed the killing of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) 'divisional commander' Shabir Shah alias Shah Din Khandey and one of his close associate, Mushtaq Ahmed alias Abu Tallah, at Bhadi Dhok in Kither area of Kishtwar District. Khandey was the longest surviving militant in entire Jammu region as he had joined militancy when it erupted in 1989. His record in Police Stations for his involvement in militancy related incidents dated back to 1993. It has now been confirmed that the two militants had been killed by the troops of 26 Rashtriya Rifles and Police on February 15, 2010.

August 5: SFs arrested an Over Ground Worker (OGW) of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), been identified as Nissar Hussain, from village Manu in Kalakote tehsil (revenue unit) of Rajouri District.

August 2: The main accused in the charge sheet is Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, whom the NIA has identified as the "legal advisor" of the APHC-G and Geelani's close aide. Three other J& K residents - Mohd Siddiqui Ganai, Ghulam Jilani Lilo and Farooq Ahmed Dagga - were charge sheeted last week too. NIA has also identified a Hizb-ul-Mujahedeen (HM) 'commander' in Pakistan, Maqbool Pandit, who the NIA claims sent INR 45.7 million since 2008 from Pakistan to a contact of Bhat in Delhi by Hawala. This is the same case in which Delhi Police special cell sleuths had waylaid Geelani near the Delhi Airport on March 1, and had questioned him on his links with Bhat. Geelani was then trying to leave for Srinagar without heeding to a request from the Delhi Police to meet them in connection with this case.

A close aide of All Parry Hurriyat Conference-Geelani (APHC-G) leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani is among four persons charge sheeted by National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with alleged hawala racket used to channelise money to terrorists of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) in the Kashmir Valley. The chargesheet names Ghulam Mohammed Bhat, Geelani's aide, along with three other accomplices, including Mohd Sidiq Ganai, who had allegedly collected over INR 4.57 crore during a period of three years from January, 2008 through hawala channels from Pakistan for promoting "terrorist" activities in the valley. "The investigation has disclosed that four arrested accused acted as a gang and indulged in unlawful activities pursuant to criminal conspiracy and mobilised/raised funds for terrorist activities and thereby they committed offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act," said the NIA in its 17-page charge sheet.

The chargesheet said that "funds through hawala channels were being sent to Jammu and Kashmir for funding terror and secessionist acts in the state and Pakistan-based Maqbool Pandit, a member of banned Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, and Aizaz Maqbool Bhat, at present living in Saudi Arabia, were the key accused behind it." Special judge H S Sharma took the charge sheet on record for taking cognizance and issuing summons to the accused who are at present lodged in Tihar jail in New Delhi.

August 1: Inspector General of Police (IGP, Jammu Zone) Dilbagh Singh said that four militants from Hindu community have been killed during the two-decade-long militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. "So far four Hindu militant commanders of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen [HM] - Uttam Singh alias Saifullah, Kuldeep Kumar alias Kamran and Subash Chander Shaan and Bipin Kumar - were killed in 22 years long militancy in Jammu and Kashmir," Dilbagh Singh said. But, he rebutted claims of HM that a large number of Hindus picked up guns due to ideological conviction. "I did not see any ideological conviction in all these cases (Hindus boys joining militancy). I have gone through cases of 3 to 4 militants (Hindus) who have been killed. It is all absurd. Most of them forcibly picked up or were fascinated by power of gun," he asserted. The official argued, "If gun can fascinate Muslim boys, it can fascinate Hindu boys as well... When they lift guns, they feel empowered, and womanising, extortion and dictating people become part of their life."

July 28: Police in Anantnag District neutralized a HM module by arresting Mohammad Yaseen Dass of Waghama and Shabir Ahmad Dar of Mehand. Hawala money worth INR five hundred thousand was recovered from them. Police said that the duo revealed that they have distributed a good amount of money among the HM militants and Over Ground workers (OGWs) in South Kashmir. "The main purpose of the module was to strengthen and rejuvenate the OGWs and surrender militants of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen in order to disturb the prevailing peace in the Valley", said Police.

July 26: SFs shot dead a HM militant at Gokund in the Rennai area under the jurisdiction of Marwah Police Station in Kishtwar District. Recoveries made from his possession included one AK-47 rifle, 37 AK rounds, two magazines, two Chinese grenades, one radio set and some incriminating documents pertaining to HM. Initially, SFs identified the slain militant as Sajjad Ahmed alias Rizwan, a HM 'district commander'. Later, with the help of the locals, the SFs ascertained that the slain militant is 'commander' Wasif alias Kamran alias Subhash, son of Jeevan Kumar, another 'commander' of the outfit. Wasif was earlier named as Subash but had converted himself a long ago and joined the ranks of HM. Sajjad Ahmed alias Rizwan, Shakeel Ahmed alias Chhota Hafiz, Riaz Ahmed and Mohammad Shaffi Hazam were the militants still surviving in upper reaches of Kishtwar. "As far as we are concerned, every person who has taken gun against the nation is a militant...," said General Staff (16 Corps) Brigadier J. S. Cheema.

July 23: Police neutralised HM hideouts at Pada dhok and Siot areas under the jurisdiction of Mendhar Police Station in Poonch District.

July 22: SFs arrested a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant, identified as Imtiyaz Ahmad Ganaie, from Barsoo of Awantipora in Pulwama District. One AK 47 rifle, two AK magazines and 50 AK rounds were recovered from his possession.

July 21: SFs neutralised a hideout of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants at Sangiot in Mendhar area of Poonch District and recovered two pistols, one IED, four grenades and 43 PIKA rounds.

July 20: SFs arrested two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants at Kachwa village in the Pattan area of Baramulla District. The arrestees were identified as Ajaz Ahmad Teli alias Tahir of Pattan and Fayaz Ahmad Parray alias Saleem of Daragam Pattan. On the basis of information provided by them, the SFs recovered one AK 47, 15 rounds of AK ammunition and four grenades from the orchards of Ningli Nala. "These militants had crossed over to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) for arms and ammunition training in the year 2001. They had returned recently," Police said. The militants had been pushed back to Kashmir from PoK to reorganize HM in Pattan area and to recruit youths to strengthen it.

July 18: A Policeman, identified as Fareed Ahmad Khan (Belt no. 546/Armed Police, 5th Batallion) was injured when a group of unidentified assailants opened fire at him outside his residence at Gutlibagh in Ganderbal District. Superintend of Police (SP), Ganderbal, Imtiyaz Hussain Mir said that the 'district commander' of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) Mushtaq Ahmad Khan has been identified behind this incident. "He has been on the killing spree from the last few months where he has killed three persons and injuring one today", he added.

SFs recovered a consignment of arms and ammunition from a hideout of HM at Khodra dhok under the jurisdiction of Budhal Police Station in Rajouri District. Recoveries made form the site included one AK-56 rifle, three AK magazines, 251 bullets of AK-56, 15 bullets of Pika gun, six grenades of Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), one RPG 7 grenade, one Chinese grenades, two Icom radio sets, one ALINCO radio set, 73 explosive sticks and some incriminating documents pertaining to HM. Sources said the AK-56 rifle recovered from the militant hideout carried the name of Abu Hussain, a HM militant, who happened to be the associate of slain HM 'commander' Abu Inqullabi.

July 17: Troops neutralised a hide-out of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants at Copra Top at village Mathansu in the Mahore area of Reasi District and recovered a consignment of arms, ammunition and explosives. Recoveries included two AK-47 rifles with two bayonets, two AK magazines, 120 rounds, two hand grenades, two Kenwood radio sets, some incriminating documents, mobile telephones with their batteries and some other explosive material.

GOC, 16 Corps Lieutenant General J P Nehra disclosed as per latest inputs nearly 175 Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants were operating in the South of Pir Panjal, including Rajouri-Poonch, Udhampur, Reasi, Banihal, Ramban and Doda. Foreigners are still dominating but most of them have turned inactive in view of mounting pressure of Security Forces and lack of local support, he asserted. When asked about use of satellite communication by militants, he said they have been using it earlier also. But militants in the State are now more relying on internet and social working sites, besides manual communication. He said militants are now using Facebook and internet in addition to manual communication, marking a change of trend. Mobile phones are less used now because they are easily intercepted, he added.

July 14: A militant from Poonch, who had recently crossed over to this side of the Line of Control (LoC) from Sabjian after spending three years in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), confirmed the presence of at least 175 militants, of Poonch District in different training camps and other places in PoK, according to Daily Excelsior. The militant, identified as Mohammad Arif Iqbal, during his interrogation by Police has disclosed militants were mostly affiliated to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), and were from different parts of Poonch district. He also said that he had been asked by LeT and HM 'commanders' to survey the old route of Gagrian-Sabjian-Loran-Gulmarg, used by the militants earlier from twin border Districts of Poonch and Rajouri to reach the Kashmir valley.

July 10: An explosion killed two boys at village Ratsuna in the Tral area of Pulwama District in the evening. Superintendent of Police (SP, Awantipora) Irshad said that the explosion took place in the house of one Mohammed Yusuf Lone, an Over Ground Worker (OGW) of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM). He said that Lone's son, Ubaid Yusuf Lone (16) and another boy Adil Yufuf Teli (17), died while another person received injuries in the explosion. "The grenade was brought by Ubaid from somewhere and the two boys were fiddling with it resulting in the explosion," he added.

July 8: The SFs recovered a large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosive material, from a hideout of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) 'area commander', Mashooq Ali, who had rejoined militancy after surrender and was presently on the run, at Gajna Top in Arnas area of Reasi District. The recoveries made from the hideout included five rifles including two PIKA guns, one AK-47 rifle, one SLR and one .303, one AK-47 magazine with 24 rounds, one Rocket Projectile Gun, 25 PIKA rounds, 75 SLR rounds, 431 AK rounds, one Chinese grenade, one I Com wireless set, 25 detonators, eight rifle grenades thrown by AK-46 rifles, two HE-36 grenades, seven small size and one large batteries used in triggering improvised explosive device (IED) blasts, seven rounds of Chinese pistols and one empty magazine of AK rifle.

July 5: The SFs neutralized a militant module by arresting two suspects, who were carrying INR 1.19 lakh cash for Rafiq Shaikh alias Basharat, 'divisional commander' of the Pir Panjal Regiment of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM-Pir Panjal), in the Kulgam District. The arrestees were identified as Tanveer Ahmed Rather, resident of Kanelwan-Bijbehara and Chandia Kohli alias Chandia Gujjar resident of Malwan.

July 1: Police arrested a conduit of the HM, identified as Mudasir Ahmad Dar of village Frisal in Kulgam District, from the Pinglish-Tral area in Pulwama District. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP, Awantipora) Tahir Saleem describing the arrest said, "During the process we found him under suspicious circumstances near Pinglish crossing. We arrested him and recovered Rs 90,000 cash, one live Chinese grenade and a letter pad of HM from him. We recovered the letter pad from him bearing signature of a HM functionary. We have launched a hunt to arrest him." He added that the money was meant for the Over Ground Workers of the outfit.

June 29: A HM militant, identified as Tamir Ahmad Khuroo alias Junaid Khuroo (20), shot himself dead at Arampora in Sopore town of Baramulla District on June 29. One pistol with magazine, three empty cartridges and one live round were recovered from the incident site. Junaid was a wanted stone-pelter and had joined HM just a few months back. The father of Junaid was a released militant of HM.

June 27: Two HM militants, identified as 'divisional commander' Muzaffar Ahmad Malla alias Chota Moulvi and his associate Suhail Khan alias Shahid, were killed in a 12-hour long gun-battle with the SFs in Pulwama District. Two Army personnel, including an officer were also injured. Acting on a tip off about presence of some militants in the house of one Mohammad Yousuf, the SFs cordoned off a village in Shikargah at around 7 pm in the night of June 26. The militants opened fire following which the encounter broke out, which continued intermittently throughout the night. The SFs' launched an assault on the militants shortly after dawn and killed both the militants. Two AK assault rifles, four magazines, 14 rounds, an Under Barrel Grenade Launcher along with a grenade and two Chinese hand grenades were recovered from the incident site. Muzaffar, who had received arms training in PoK, was one of the most wanted militants in South Kashmir.

June 19: SFs destroyed a HM hideout at Phuklan Top in Doda District. Recoveries made from the hideout included one .303 rifle with one magazine and nine rounds, 13 sniper rifle rounds, 97 rounds of 7.62mm, one switch and one HM letter head.

June 16: SFs destroyed a HM hideout at Beli forests in Doda District and recovered ammunition of AK and Pika rifles and .303 gun.

June 15: Fazle-ur-Rahman Khalil, the head of anti-India militant outfit HM lives on the outskirts of Islamabad in the suburb of Golra Sharif, reports says quoting a senior Government official on the condition of anonymity. It was reported that Pakistan authorities, clearly aware of Khalil's whereabouts, leave him alone, just as they tolerate other Kashmiri militant groups. Khalil is useful to authorities because of his unusually wide contacts among Pakistan's many militant outfits, the official said. However, Khalil dismissed suggestions he may have been in touch with Osama while he was hiding in Abbottabad. "It is 100 per cent wrong it's rubbish,'' Khalil said, adding, "Osama did not have contact with anybody.''

Police said militancy had almost been wiped out in Jammu and there were only a handful of militants active in the province, according to Kashmir Dispatch. Inspector General of Police (Jammu range) Dilbag Singh said that there were only 13 militants left in Jammu region. Of the 13, six are left in Banihal area of Ramban District - two militants Basharat and Qadir belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) are active along with two associates each. Another five militants are left in Kishtwar District and two more in Doda District.

June 14: In the wake of recent attempts being made from across the LoC by the militants to infiltrate into the Indian Territory, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Army's Northern Command Lieutenant General K T Parnaik said, "Around 16 training camps still exists in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and we are fully prepared to foil any attempts being made by the neighboring country to create any disturbance in State". On number of militants of various outfits functional in these bordering belts, he stated, "Twenty-seven militants associated with Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami (HUJI) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), are still active in Rajouri and Poonch districts".

June 10: Police claimed to have solved the shootout case in Srinagar city last week when a trader from Sopore was shot dead by gunmen. Three persons Farooq Ahmad Dar, Parvaiz Ahmad Tantray and Shabir Ahmad Parray have been arrested so far and weapon of offence recovered at their instance. However, the search for Lateef, released militant of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) is going on.

June 8: A City Court in Srinagar permitted the Special Investigating Team (SIT) probing the killing of Moulana Showkat Ahmad Shah to interrogate jailed militant 'commander' and founder of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Ashiq Hussain Faktoo alias Dr. Qasim, for a period of seven days within the Central Jail Srinagar premises where Faktoo is lodged.

June 5: Latest census conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Police shows 325 militants are currently present across Kashmir. And of them, 119 are active - the lowest figure ever since militancy erupted in the state in 1990. Despite setbacks, HM is the largest militant outfit operating in Kashmir with 143 active cadres, including 15 foreign militants.

May 31: SFs recovered two powerful Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), from the hideouts of HM 'commander' Shahdin Khandey, at Kither village in Bunjwah area of Kishtwar District. Besides two IEDs, other recoveries made from the hideout, included one wireless set, 11 blankets, a number of oil containers, one AK magazine and 15 rounds.

May 26: United Jehad Council chairman and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) 'chief', Syed Salahuddin stated that ongoing Panchayat (village level local self-government institution) polls are means for local self- governance and that militants will not target panches (member of Panchayat) and sarpanches (head of Panchayat). He further commented, "We did not call for boycott of Panchayat polls as these are for local self-arrangements and are different from assembly elections. You don't have to take oath under Indian constitution in Panchayat polls."

May 19: Out of 23 names short-listed by the State Intelligence agencies for return from Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) under Rehabilitation Policy of the Government, clearance of 18 has been withheld by Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Intelligence Bureau (IB), while giving nod to return of five militants. All five militants, identified as Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Abdul Rashid, Shabir Ahmed, Tariq Ahmed Lone and Tariq Ahmed Sheikh cleared for return from Pakistan and PoK once belonged to Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) outfit and hailed from Anantnag District. They were held-up in PoK for a period ranging between 10 to 20 years.

May 18: Security Forces (SFs) arrested 10 Over Ground Workers (OGWs) from different villages for helping Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants.

May 17: Police arrested four persons, including three ex-militants, identified as Muzaffar Ahmad Bhat alias Muza, belonging to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Irfan Ahmad Gazi alias Raju, a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant and Azad Ahmad Wani, a Pakistan trained militant, in connection with drug peddling in Baramulla District.

May 16: Police charge sheeted eight persons, including former Hizb-ul-Mujahieen (HM) 'chief commander', Mohammad Ahsan Dar, in the murder of a contractor in Pattan area of Baramulla District in February, 2011. The accused have been charged with murder, conspiracy to kill, possession of prohibited arms and ammunition under sections 302, 120-B RPC, 7/25, 7/27 of the Arms Act.

May 11: Security Forces (SFs) neutralised a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) hideout and recovered a cache of explosives in a forest area of Laribal in Pulwama District. The recovery included three kilograms of explosive powder, two Chinese hand grenades, a detonator and twenty meters of electric wire besides a HM letter-pad, a rubber stamp, a stamp pad, two mobile SIM cards, five adhesive tubes, a map, two blankets and a 'pheran' (traditional loose gown). The militants were preparing an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) which they were planning to plant somewhere in Tral belt (Pulwama District) to inflict damage on SFs.

May 10: SFs arrested five militants of HM, identified as Abdul Rashid Bhat alias Moulvi, Manzoor Ahmad Wani, Zahoor Ahmad Ganai, Mehraj-ud-din Ganaie and Mudasir Ahmed Sheikh, along with arms and ammunition from Pattan in Baramulla District. Recovery include three AK rifles, one pistol, three AK magazines, 300 rounds of AK rounds, one pistol magazine, two Chinese hand grenades, four rounds of pistol ammunition and one radio set of Kenwood.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) North Kashmir Range, Muneer Khan, said that the militants were operating in Kunzer village of Pattan area. The module was set up on the directions of a HM 'commander' Maqsood Ahmad Bhat alias Tariq, resident of Mamoosa, Pattan, presently serving detention in the jail. The aim of module was to revive militancy and to spread terror among people in areas like Pattan, Khore, Shirpora, Kunzer and Tangmarg (all in Baramulla District). The group was offering arms training to school going children in the adjoining orchards of Pattan. They had also intimidated people not to take part in the Panchayat elections and in fact had pasted threatening posters. The group was involved in two grenade blasts with one carried out on Army at Pattan market on September 9, 2010 and the second at Magam market on July 11, 2009. They had also made an unsuccessful attempt on the life of Abdul Karim Dar, Chairman Municipal Committee, Kunzer in 2010.

May 9: Police have unearthed a module of militant outfits, which was engaged in providing SIM cards of different mobile companies to the militants in Surankote and other parts of Poonch District for past quite sometime. Police has arrested six members of the gang. The arrested persons have been identified as Waqar Ahmed and Pawaq Mujeed, both brothers, Rashid Ahmed and Imran Ahmed, all residents of Surankote, Khalid Quraishi of Faisalabad and Tahir Khan of Gounthal in Poonch District. All these SIM cards were meant for the militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) outfits.

The LeT and HM, who are finding lack of volunteers and local support in the State, and even guides to escort the infiltrating parties into Indian Territory, have revised compensation for the local guides, who are now being offered nearly INR1.5 lakh for each successful infiltration as compared to INR 50,000 given earlier.

May 8: The central intelligence agencies suggested that nearly 80 hard-core militants LeT and HM are waiting to cross the International Border (IB) into India through Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, inputs indicate that Pakistan-based militant outfits are planning to send "probing missions" into several areas of the country to find out where they could appoint their over ground workers (OGWs) and also pass information about the activities of Indian security forces to their handlers.

May 6: Kulgam Police achieved a major success when it unearthed a hawala (illegal money transfer) racket involving raising and distribution of money for various militant activities in the District. Three persons identified as Javaid Ahmad Shah, resident of Razloo-Kund (Kulgam), Nazir Ahmad Wagay, resident of Mohammad Pora (Baramulla) and Manzoor Ahmad Lone resident of Razloo-Kund were arrested. The hawala money amounting to INR 3.18 lakh was recovered from the possession of arrested trio.

"The trio used to receive the hawala money on the direction of HM militant, Nazir Ahmad Lone, who is presently based in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). Nazir happened to be the brother of one of the accused namely Manzoor Ahmad Lone," Superintendent of Police Kulgam Mubassir Latifi said. He said a case under Section 17 of Unlawful Act has been registered against them.

SFs recovered a large consignment of explosive material from a hideout of HM outfit at Lapri Top near Uchwa Gali in Arnas area of Reasi District. Recoveries made from the hideout included five launchers of UBGL, five anti-personnel mines, four time pencils and 10 day and night devices used for fabricating Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), one AK magazine, one wire cutter, one box full of Pika ammunition, two pouches and 12 rounds of 303.

May 5: The HM owned the mansion in the town of Abbottabad in Kahyber Pakhtunkhwa where Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces. The report claimed that Pakistan is hushing up the issue of the ownership of the compound. The Globe and Mail quoted a Pakistani Police officer familiar with bin Laden's compound to say the house was used by HM. "The place belonged to Hizbul Mujahideen," the Police officer said, adding, "But the authorities have asked us not to share any information about the exact ownership."

May 3: Principal Sessions Judge Kathua, Jang Bhadur Singh Jamwal, awarded death sentence to two militants, identified as Mohammad Shabir and Raj Din of HM outfit, for killing a Police informer in 2002.

Tanveer Ahmed, the militant who was living with the false identity of Zamaan Shah in the Thanna Mandi area of Rajouri District revealed that he was not only in touch with LeT and HM 'commanders' within the State but in different other cities also including Mumbai, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. Sources said Tanveer was likely to be used by the HM 'commanders' for transportation of arms and explosives to another State for carrying out blasts. Investigations have also revealed that Tanveer Ahmed alias Zamaan Shah had used at least 100 SIM cards to inter-act with different militant commanders within and outside the State as well as Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). As reported earlier, Tanveer Ahmed had confessed before the Police of his original identity.

May 2: Security Forces (SFs) arrested two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants, identified as Ishtiaq Ahmad Wani (28) of Goshbugh-Pattan and Mohammad Amin Khan (29), resident of Bela Buniyar in Uri of Baramulla District. Police officials said that two militants were arrested at Indergam village of Pattan area in Baramulla District. One Chinese pistol, one pistol magazine, four rounds of ammunition and two Chinese hand grenades were recovered from Ishtiyaq while as the recoveries made from Amin include a revolver along with four rounds of ammunition and two Chinese hand grenades. Ishtiyaq was earlier affiliated to the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) militant outfit and had been a close associate of Basharat Saleem alias Atif of Sopore. Further, three HM sympathizers, identified as Mukhtar Ahmad Kumar, Bashir Ahmad Wagay residents of Srinagar and Mustafa of Tikker in Kupwara District were arrested from TRC Chowk in Kupwara District. A solar powered missile was recovered from them.

May 1: The militant commanders of LeT and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) outfits have used a new modus operandi to smuggle weapons into the Indian territory from the Line of Control (LoC) in Mendhar sector of Poonch District. Official sources confirmed that the women, putting up in the villages across the fencing in Mendhar sector of Poonch, had helped the militants pick up the consignments of weapons from near the LoC and shift them to surrounding forest areas from where they were taken away by couriers of the ultras for further deliveries.

April 29: Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) 'chief commander' Syed Salahuddin dismisses reports of floating a political party but says that Syed Shah Geelani's All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) represents their goals and ideologies. He added that he completely supports Geelani, thereby raising questions over Geelani's alleged terror links. "We support complete military evacuation from the territory of Kashmir, we support unified Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh. We do not agree to states and we do not agree to any kind of autonomy, we do not agree to Line of Control (LoC) trade at the cost of independence of the occupied state. We stand for complete independence from Indian slavery," added the HM 'chief'.

April 17: Principal Sessions Judge Udhampur, A K Sharma awarded life-imprisonment, under Section 302/34 RPC to Mohammad Hussain, Mushtaq Ahmed and Gul Mohammad, all residents of Ramnagar tehsil (revenue unit) under Udhampur District for killing Arshad Begum and Amina Begum with sharp edged weapons by slitting their throats at village Kadwa. According to Police case, on August 2, 2001 some unidentified assailants killed Arshad Begum and Amina Begum. On this information Police started investigation and found that the accused persons are hardcore militants belonging to Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) outfit and were suspecting deceased Arshad Begum and Amina Begum of supplying information regarding their activities to the Police as the Police officials were frequently visiting their houses.

April 24: A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant, Identified as Showkat Ahmad Ganai alias Mudasir, who had returned from Pakistan last week and was on a "special mission" to set up a militant network in Srinagar, was arrested by Police.

April 21: The hawala (illegal money transfer) racket, was busted by Ramban Police, that originated from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and channelised through Aijaz Ahmed Sheikh, a resident of Dulligam and settled in Chakoti, PoK since 1997 where he was operating as a top 'commander' of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) outfit. Of three hawala operators captured by Police, one was Sheikh's brother-in-law Barkat Ali Dar. Superintendent of Police (SP) Ramban Anil Magotra said, adding that hawala consignment was delivered at Bijbehara in Anantnag District at the behest of Sheikh. The seized hawala money was meant for militants and their families. Along with Dar, two other operators Farhad Ali Khanday and Mohammad Ramzan Hajam (both from Banihal) were also arrested by SFs and INR 1.99 lakh were recovered from their possession. Hajam happened to be father of a slain HM militant Gulzar Ahmed.

April 20: Two Over Ground Workers (OGWs), namely Shahnaz Ahmad Mir and Ghulam Qadir Mir, residents of Dadsara Tral, owing allegiance to Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) were arrested by Police from Chandrigam-Awantipora area of Pulwama District. One pistol, two pistol magazines, one AK 47 rifle body, seven hand grenades and 135 rounds were recovered from their possession of arrested.

April 19: Security Forces (SFs) arrested Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant, identified as Hilal Ahmad Palla alias Umer, from Mamoosa at Pattan area of Baramulla District. Umer is a resident of Dangerpora in Pattan. He was involved in the killing of three civilians, including contractor Nazir Ahmad Lone of Kreeri of Baramulla District, Ghulam Mohinuddin Dar of Batpora of Kupwara District and Bashir Ahmad Tantray of Mamoosa. One AK rifle, two AK magazines, 50 rounds of live AK ammunition, two hand grenades, and a pouch were recovered from the possession of the arrested militant. He had crossed over to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) for receiving training in the handling of illegal arms and ammunition in year 2000.

Reports indicate that, top Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and HM militants have started moving towards mountains, including Pir Panjal Range, ahead of the summer facing threats to their lives in low lying belt as local people have started refusing shelter to them. The militants are shifting their hideouts from plain areas of Kishtwar, Doda, Banihal, Ramban, Mahore, Gool and parts of Poonch and Rajouri Districts towards mountainous areas including Pir Panjal Range, which is known as comparatively safer area for the militants in summer.

April 15: Security Forces (SFs) recovered a cache of ammunition and explosive along the Line of Control (LoC) at Keri Sector in Rajouri District. A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) hideout was neutralised in the operation. The recovery included 37 AK rounds, two magazines of AK rifle, one grenade, a radio set and other items. However, no arrests were made.

April 11: Police recovered a consignment of explosive material from Jabbar forests in Mahore area of Reasi District. The consignment belonged to the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) outfit. Recoveries included 87 AK rounds, one Chinese grenade, five detonators, tape recorded with provocative cassettes, grenade pins, pencil cells, one desi (local made) rifle, a large number of empty cartridges, backpacks and other items of personal use.

Elsewhere, reacting to Union Home Secretary G K Pillai’s statement that HM had been almost vanquished, the outfit rejected the claims saying HM’s armed strength was intact. In an emailed statement, HM’s Muzaffarabad based spokesperson, Ehsan Illahi said, “Pillai’s statement that only 100 Mujahideen of Hizb are active in Kashmir is a bundle of lies. Let us make it clear to India that there are not only 100 Mujahideen active in Kashmir, but thousands and lakhs. Every individual of Kashmir is a Mujahid. Ehsan Illahi further said, “New Delhi should accept Kashmir as a dispute and solve it through tripartite talks. Otherwise in near future solution will come out as a result of strong political and armed struggle.”

April 6: Police arrested two Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and recovered a large quantity of explosives and ammunition at their behest in Mahore area of Reasi District. The two OGWs, identified as Shahnawaz and Mohammad Irshad, went to the house of one Mohammad Maqbool at Morha Mokha in Jamsalan in the night for extortion. As villagers raised alarm, the OGWs left the place. Police arrested them during subsequent raids.

The Police later destroyed two HM hideouts based on the information provided by the arrested OGWs. Recoveries made from the hideouts included two hand grenades, five Self-loading rifle (SLR) magazines, five magazines of Light Machine Gun (LMG), seven Underbarrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) rounds, one detonator, 1.5 feet led, one plastic container, six A.I Com sets, two UBGL.

April 5: A ‘Divisional Commander’ of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Sajad Ahmad Dar alias Bale Bale was killed by Security Forces (SFs) during an encounter at Dadsar-Tral in Pulwama District. A Sub-Inspector of Police, Stazin Norboo and an Army jawan (trooper) were also killed in the encounter. A cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from the possession of the slain militant. As reported earlier, Dar was involved in the killing of a National Conference (NC) leader at Pinglish-Tral in the District on March 30.

April 3: Security Forces (SFs) killed a ‘district commander’ of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), identified as Tariq Hussain alias Abu Zaid of Dara Chapra of Doda District, at Thama Keller area of Shopian District. A cache of arms and explosives including one AK-56 Rifle, three magazines and 88 live rounds of ammunition have been recovered from his possession.

Meanwhile, in a reaction to massive popular participation in 2008 Assembly Election, militant outfits like Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and HM have warned the people in areas like Shopian District, Sopore in Baramulla District and Bandipora District against taking part in the upcoming Panchayat Polls in the State beginning in later part of April, according to The Times of India. The SFs across Kashmir and other militancy-infected areas of the State have been put on an alert.

March 27: Former ‘commander’ of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) Imran Rahi has floated a new political party with the name ‘J&K Peoples Party (JKPP)’ in Karan Nagar area of Srinagar, with most of the former militant ‘commanders’ as its executive members. Rahi stated that the new political party will solely work for the peaceful resolution of vexed Kashmir issue and will fight for the justice of people, adding, that his party will protest against the atrocities.

March 23: A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant, Mudassir Nazir Lone, was arrested from the Batamaloo area of Srinagar District by Special Operations Groups (SOG). The militant was also an accused in murder of contractor Nazir Ahmed Lone.

March 18: The Jammu and Kashmir Police claims to have broken a major terror module led by an Imam (temporal leader) of a local mosque and two imprisoned self-styled commanders of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and killed one militant in Baramulla District. The module planned to kill 16 residents of Kreeri and Pattan areas of Baramulla District to "create fear psychosis and to revive" HM. The Baramulla Police discovered this during its investigation of a murder case of a civilian, Nazir Ahmad Lone by an unknown gunman on February 28, 2011, resident of Kreeri, as reported earlier. On interrogation, it came to surface that the Imam, on the directions of Mohammad Ashan Dar and Muzaffar Dar (senior self styled commanders of HM outfit) presently in judicial custody, had constituted two modules one for Kreeri and other for Palhalan of Baramulla District to "kill sixteen respectable persons in the areas to create a fear psychosis and to revive the HM outfit." the Police claimed.

The module "A" operating in Kreeri and Nihalpora, was led by a "recycled HM terrorist Hilal Ahmed Palla of Dangerpora, Pattan and his associates Ajaz Ahmad Khan of Khanpora, Mudassir Nazir of Kachawa and Mohammad Ashraf Kumar of Khanpora all from Baramulla District. The group was "involved in Nazir Ahmed Lone's killing." Bashir Bukhari also disclosed the name of Mohammad Ashraf Mir of Kalantra in Baramulla District who was also part of the module "A".

The Police arrested Moulvi Bashir, Ashraf Mir, Ajaz Dar, Ashraf and Abdul Hamid. Hilal Palla and Nazir are absconding while as other accused have been arrested. The Police also recovered two pistols, two magazines and three pistol live cartridges from Ashraf's shop while as one pistol, one pistol magazine, three live pistol cartridges, one handset, one antenna, four under barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), four gelatin rods and a letter pad of TUM was recovered from Moulvi Bashir Bukhari. The second module is operating in the general area of Gosh Bug & Palhalanin Baramulla District.

March 13: A Multi Agency Centre (MAC) set up by the Union Home Ministry in New Delhi has reported on March 13, that 489 top militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and a couple of other lesser known militant outfits were in full preparedness to try and cross into Jammu and Kashmir from the Line of Control (LoC) this summer. Though the number of trained militants camping at forward launching pads across the LoC and International Border (IB) was about 1000, the MAC report said 489 militants were fully prepared to try to intrude into the border of Jammu and Kashmir in the approaching summer. These militants have been issued weapons, combat dresses, mobile telephones, explosive devices and medical kits etc to carry them while infiltrating into the State. As per the MAC figures, 195 militants had infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir during last two years of 2009 and 2010. While exactly 100 militants sneaked into this side in 2009, the number went down to 95 in 2010. Intelligence and Police agencies of the State said the figure almost tallied with their inputs.

March 12: A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant was arrested from at Chinar Colony Pattan area of Baramulla District. The arrested militant was identified as Nisar Ahmad Rather alias Abu Kamal, a resident of Check Badrinath in Pulwama District. One Chinese pistol along with one magazine, five rounds of live ammunition and two Chinese hand grenades were recovered from possession of the arrestee. Rather had crossed over to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in 1999 and had recently infiltrated back.

March 11: Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested a Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militant, Aijaz Ahmed Hakim, at Bakhinar Nalla in Handwara area of Kupwara District on March 11. Aijaz Ahmed Hakim is a resident of Awanta Bhawan Soura of Srinagar. Police said that Aijaz crossed over to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) in 1992 and had returned earlier this month.

March 7: Three militants, including one who worked as a communication expert with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), were arrested near Khan Market area of New Delhi for allegedly running a fake currency racket. The arrestees were identified as Mohammad Yunus (32), who allegedly has links with HM, Sirajuddin (26) and a graphic designer Mohammad Asif (26). Counterfeit notes with a value of INR one Million were recovered from the possession of the arrestee. Yunus, who hails from Ramban District of Jammu and Kashmir, was earlier arrested in September 2003 for allegedly possessing a hand grenade, pistol and knife. He was released on bail in December 2005 but stopped attending Court in 2008.

March 4: Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Chief Mohammad Yaseen Malik appeared in the Court of Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) in the Hawala (illegal money transfer) case, according to Daily Excelsior. Besides Malik, Mushtaq Ahmed Dar and Shamima alias Shazia alias Bitti, also appeared before the Court. Kud Police (Udhampur District) had intercepted a vehicle on March 23, 2002 and recovered USD 70,000 from Shamima and USD 30,000 along with INR 19,000 from Mushtaq Ahmed Dar. During questioning, both the passengers disclosed that they had received this money from Altaf Qadri, Executive Member of All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) presently in Pakistan and was at Kathmandu (Nepal), at the instance of JKLF chief Mohd Yaseen Malik. Being a close associate of Malik, Mushtaq Ahmed Dar was allegedly directed by Malik to proceed to Nepal to collect USD 100,000 from Altaf Qadri. Accused Mushtaq Ahmed Dar along with Shamima went to Kathmandu in the month of March 2002 and allegedly collected USD 100,000 which was to be distributed among the militants’ ranks and organisation including Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT).

February 28: Alleging the Security Forces for the killing of Haji Nazir Ahmad of Kreeri in an emailed statement, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) spokesman, Ehsan Illahi warned, “The killers of Haji Nazir will not be spared”.

February 27: The two arrested Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants, both named Showkat Hussain, have revealed that a large number of youth, who had crossed over to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) from this part of the State during past two decades, were now forced to work as labourers or perform other type of manual job after being thrown out of training camps by Pakistan Army and militant ‘commanders’ due to their over-age, lack of proper training and refusal to become fidayeens (suicide bombers). They told Police that only those militants, who had become hardcore ‘commanders’ or those who were ready to become the fidayeens were being kept in the training camps and other rest houses. They were also being paid monthly honorarium, which has been stopped for all rest of the militants. As reported earlier, these militants were arrested on February 25 soon after they crossed the Line of Control (LoC) from forward area of Nakarket in Digwar sub sector of Poonch District.

February 25: Troops of Poonch Brigade arrested two former Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants along with their wives and seven children soon after they crossed the Line of Control (LoC) from forward area of Nakarket in Digwar sub sector of Poonch District. Two Nokia mobile telephones, three Pakistani SIM cards, two Mohajir identity cards, two Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) identity cards, one driving license and INR 12,705 were recovered from the possession of two former militants. The militants, identified as Showkat Hussain and Showkat Hussain, residents of Marhote in Surankote, had joined the HM outfit in 1998-99 and crossed over to PoK. They had also taken their wives with them in 2001 and stayed in different militant training camps in PoK before switching over to manual work. All seven children of two militants had been born in PoK, sources said. Sources said the former militants had reportedly paid INR 30,000 to a militant guide to help them reach the LoC before they crossed over to this side. Senior Superintendent of Police (Poonch) Ashkoor Wani said the militants would be booked under illegal border crossing as they were not involved in any kind of militant activity in India. They also didn't fall under Rehabilitation Policy of the Government, he added.

February 22: Police arrested a militant, identified as Bashir Ahmed Naik, from Bolna Top in Khari area of Banihal in Ramban District and recovered arms and explosive material from his possession. The recoveries included one Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), 24 UBGL grenades, one I Com radio set with antenna, one Sony transistor, a large quantity of blankets and some ration items. Naik, the seventh arrested conduit of recently killed Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘divisional commander’, Qari Zubair, had been asked by a HM militant to shift the consignment from Qari Zubair's hideout to another place.

February 22: Officials of the special cell New Delhi Range apprehended four persons associated with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen [HM], a banned terrorist organization. The accused were identified as Mohammad SiddiqGanai, and Ghulam Gilani Laloo, both residents of Sopore, and Farooq Ahmed Dagga and Ghulam Mohammad Butt from Srinagar," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Arun Kampani.

February 18: Jammu and Kashmir Police have definite reports of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) supreme ‘commander’ Syed Salah-ud-Din again trying to instigate the stone pelters to gear up for the upcoming summer. It was in view of the intercepts and other reliable inputs that Police have started making preventive arrests of professional and notorious stone pelters. A number of stone pelters arrested by Police have confessed during their interrogation that they had been instigated by militant groups to subject police and para-military to stone pelting. The statements of stone pelters were enough to establish a nexus between militants and the protestors, sources added. They added that some militants, who had instigated stone pelters, were directly in contact with Syed Salah-ud-Din while some others had operated at the behest of HM militants in the Kashmir valley. Sources said the names of some separatist leaders have also figured during questioning of the stone pelters that they too had driven them to the path of violence. Several separatists were already under surveillance for their links with the stone pelters, they added.

February 13: Army and Police arrested two top Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants, who happened to be close associates of recently slain HM ‘divisional commander’ Qari Zubair, after an encounter in their house at Bhimdassa in Gool area of Ramban District. The arrestees, identified as Tariq Ahmed Chandel and Rafiq Ahmed, were ‘B’ category militants. The Security Forces (SFs) carried out a search operation at village Thachu near Bhimdassa in the night after developing information about the presence of the two militants in the area. Anticipating that they were being chased, the militants took the forest route and reached their houses at Thachu. Their houses were cordoned off but the militants managed to take cover of their family members. It was after about two hour that the SFs arrested the militants after segregating them from their families. However, both the militants did make an attempt to escape by opening fire. They were arrested after a brief exchange of firing. Recoveries made from the possession of slain militants included one AK-56 rifle, one Chinese pistol, four grenades, two pistol magazines, two AK-56 magazines, 39 AK rounds and four pistol rounds. The arrestees were close associates of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) ‘chief’ for Pir Panjal range Abu Moosa also. The LeT and HM were operating jointly in Ramban District since their strength has dwindled in most of the areas.

February 8: Army and Police shot dead three top Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants, including a ‘divisional commander’, in an encounter inside a 60 feet deep nullah at village Manjoosh near Nachlana in the Khari area of Banihal tehsil (revenue unit) in Ramban District. Official sources said troops launched a search operation at village Manjoosh after developing a specific input about the presence of three HM militants in the area. The militants when asked to surrender started heavy firing with automatic weapons on the troopers, who retaliated, leading to heavy exchange of gun fighting. All three militants were killed in the encounter with no casualties of Army and Police. Dead bodies of the slain militants, identified as Abdul Rashid Naik alias Qari Zubair, Nasir Ahmed Naik and Mushtaq Ahmed, were recovered from the nullah. While Qari Zubair was a ‘divisional commander’ of HM’s Pir Panjal Regiment, Nasir was a ‘district commander’ and Mushtaq was a ‘battalion commander’ of the outfit. Recoveries made from their possession of the slain militants included two AK-56 rifles, one Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), three mobile telephones with earphones, battery chargers, AK magazines and ammunition, explosive devices and other items. Significantly, the hideout of the militants was located just one kilometer away from Manjoosh Police post. The militants had been using a rope to reach to 60 feet deep inside the nullah to hide them. With the killings, now only 27 militants were left in Doda-Ramban range, including 10 in Ramban District (seven of HM Pir Panjal Regiment and three of LeT [Lashkar-e-Toiba] Abu Moosa group), Inspector General of Police (Jammu) Dilbagh Singh said.

February 1: A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) overground worker, Fayaz Ahmad Wani, a resident of Pattan in Baramulla District, who allegedly raised and distributed INR 70,000 among Kashmiri stone-pelters, was arrested by the Baramulla Police. A letter pad and a HM receipt book were recovered from him. Wani, presently functioning as tehsil (revenue) President of All Party Hurriyat Conference-Geelani (APHC-G) after the arrest of Showket Ahmad, along with District president Hamza Molvi, would collect money from APHC-G Head Quarter at Hyderpora in Srinagar. Recently he had collected and distributed INR 70,000 among various stone-pelters of Palhallan in Pattan and its adjoining areas. Wani told his interrogators that he had been collecting funds on behalf of the banned outfit and distributing it among families of several slain terrorists, overground workers and families of people injured in the summer agitation in 2010. ''He was also instigating people to join militant ranks and avenge the killing of the people during the recent unrest,'' a Police statement said, adding, Wani told his interrogators that he organized processions in his area. ''He had organized a group of youth with the responsibility to organize violent protests at the village level,'' the statement further added was later booked under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

February 2: In the Baramulla District, a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant, identified as Ghulam Rasool Bhat alias Alam, was arrested by the Police at Pattan in Sopore. One Chinese pistol, one magazine and six rounds were recovered from his possession.

January 27: Police recovered a consignment of arms and ammunition from Rattu Pani and Pallni areas of Marmat in Doda District on the disclosures of arrested Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘divisional commander’ Jameel Ahmed alias Naseer Qureshisss. Recoveries included four wireless sets, one Chinese pistol with two magazines and 13 rounds, three bayonets of AK rifles and one Chinese grenade.

Separately, Police arrested a self-styled ‘financial commander’ and coordinator of HM, identified as Ali Mohammad Naik, on Sathoora road near Tral in Pulwama District. He said INR one lakh hawala (illegal money transfer) money, a Chinese grenade, a stamp of HM and some receipts of distributed money were recovered from his possession at the time of the arrest. Naik was coordinating different assignments of different modules of the outfit as well as providing financial and logistic support to the cadres for the past two years. He was arrested following a tip off that he was distributing money to sympathizers of HM in Tral area.

January 23: The SFs arrested a woman Over Ground Worker of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) in Zabafara village area of Ramban District. The arrestee, identified as Shamima Begum (30), is the wife of top HM militant Ghulam Qadir Malik.

January 21: A female cadre of the militant outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) was arrested by the Police in Doda District. The militant, identified as Ruksana Begum along with an accomplice Farooq Ahmed were arrested from the District Hospital in Doda while they were about to extort 50,000 INR as `terror fund’ from a Block Development Officer (BDO).Two more members of the outfit, who were extorting money from Government officials, contractors and other influential persons, are currently absconding.

January 19: Police arrested a woman militant and a Police Constable for their ‘close links’ with arrested Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘divisional commander’ Ghulam Nabi Sheikh alias Javaid Qureshi in two separate search operations conducted at Jammu and Doda. The woman militant, identified as Kulsooma Begum Wife of one Tariq Ahmed Sheikh, a resident of Labbar in the Marmat area of Doda District, was arrested from the premises of Government Medical College (GMC) in Jammu where she had come for treatment after remaining in hibernation for past more than a month. Kulsooma is the second woman to be arrested by Police in Doda for her links with Qureshi, who was arrested at Dehradun in Uttaranchal in December 2010. The Police Constable Satish Kumar alias Doctor was arrested from Doda for supplying arms and ammunition to the militants especially Javaid Qureshi. However, it was yet to be ascertained whether he had provided weapons and ammunition of Police to the militants or only carried out their supplies.

January 19: Police arrested a dismissed Police Constable for his alleged links with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘divisional commander’ Javaid Qureshi, who was arrested in December month from Dehradun in Uttaranchal. Davinder Kumar alias DK was wanted in nine criminal cases, including a case pertaining to supply of arms and ammunition and other logistic support to Qureshi. During his posting as in-charge Operations Picket Sarak in Marmat area of District during 2001 to 2003, DK had helped Qureshi and he used to sell AK round for INR 20 and INSAS round for INR five to the militants, thus, earning a huge amounts. He had also received INR 50,000 from militants for providing them a gun and INR 25,000 for a pistol.

January 15: Police arrested a top ‘commander’ of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) from the city centre at Lal Chowk in Srinagar. An unnamed senior Police official said following a tip-off that HM ‘commander’ Parvaiz Ahmed War, a resident of Warpora, in Sopore Baramulla District, was roaming in Srinagar city, Police laid a siege to arrest him. "We arrested him near Regal Chowk. We recovered a pistol, a magazine and four rounds from his possession," the official said, adding, "He was active since 2000. In the same year, he had crossed the Line of Control for the arms training and returned to operate in Sopore and Bandipora Districts of north Kashmir. He said the input about the militant ‘commander’ had been received by the Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK), a special wing of Police.

January 14: The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘chief’ Syed Salahuddin has said frequent strikes and shutdowns diluted the summer agitation in Kashmir. The HM ‘chief’, who is based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), was now preparing a new plan to create trouble in J&K. Talking to a local news agency on telephone, Salahuddin said the 'summer movement' was based on wrong strategy and emotions. "I gave good advice to my friends but they did not listen to me. They now regret it. No nation can remain dependent on constant strikes. So we have to sit and carve out a result-oriented programme," he said. As a first step, he asked the separatist leaders to join hands and put forth a common agenda before the people of Kashmir. "The separatist leaders should unite on the basis of 1993 constitution of Hurriyat Conference," HM ‘chief’ said.

January 13: The Security Forces detected and later defused an improvised explosive device (IED) kept under a culvert at Mankote on Jammu-Poonch road via Mendhar in Poonch District. Some local militants of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) were reported to have planted the improved explosive devices (IED) on the road.

January 12: Army recovered three 28 kilograms of weight improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and a large quantity of other explosive material besides Pakistan made medicines from Kandi in the Kotranka area of Rajouri District. The IEDs had been fully fabricated and were ready to use, which indicated that Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants, to whom the consignment belonged, were planning to use them at some sensitive installations on or before Republic Day (January 26) celebrations. Other recoveries made included six Under Barrel Grenade Launcher grenades, five Chinese hand grenades, five Rocket Propelled Grenade shells, 79 AK rounds, 26 pistol rounds and a large quantity of Pakistan made medicines including pain killers, injections, capsules, bandages and a rucksack. Recovery of Pakistan made medicines indicated presence of some Pakistani militants of HM outfit at Pichnar area of Kandi.

January 11: Security Forces (SFs) arrested two Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), including an employee of PHE Department in Ramban District. The SFs launched a search operation in Zanfara area of Gool and arrested the two OGWs, identified as Tarik, 27, son of Nazirdeen, a resident of Botas, who was working with PHE and Hasandin, 18, a student, son of Abdul Hameed, who was resident of Zanfara in Asthanmarg. As reported earlier, the SFs had arrested an OGW in Gool area of Ramban on January 10. Sources said the OGWs were being questioned to ascertain the hideouts of Abu Moosa, who was instrumental in the killing of two Territorial Army personnel at Bhimdassa in Gool on January 1.

January 7: A woman Over Ground Worker (OGW) of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), identified as Yasmeena Banoo, was arrested by Police along arms and ammunition at village Sirwal in the Marmat area of Doda District. One Chinese pistol along with two magazines and 10 rounds were recovered from Yasmeena, a close associate of arrested HM ‘divisional commander’ Ghulam Nabi Sheikh alias Javaid Qureshi. Police has prepared a list of a total of 26 OGWs, mostly in Marmat area, who had been helping Qureshi and other HM militants in Doda District. The list was prepared on the basis of questioning of Qureshi.

2010

December 31: A top militant of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), identified as Khurshid Ahmed alias Vakas, surrendered before Police in Doda District. At the time of surrender, he handed over one AK rifle, one magazine and 30 rounds. Police said Khurshid Ahmed was active in militancy since April 2000 and had been rated in ‘A’ category. The militant surrendered following pressure after the recent arrest of two HM ’divisional commanders’ Ghulam Nabi Sheikh alias Javaid Qureshi and Jameel Qureshi by the Police in Dehradun (Uttaranchal) and Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) respectively.

December 27: The Security Forces (SFs) killed a top Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant, Ghulam Nabi alias Gamma, in the Gandoh area of Doda District.

December 26: As reported earlier, the Security Forces raided the hideouts of two arrested ‘divisional commanders’ of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) — Ghulam Nabi Sheikh alias Javaid Qureshi and Jameel Ahmed alias Nissar Qureshi, in Doda District and recovered a large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives, including six AK rifles. Official sources said three major hideouts of Javaid Qureshi, who was arrested from Dehradun by Uttaranchal Police along with his associate Tanveer Ahmed on December 10, were raided and neutralised by Police. Recoveries made during the operation included six AK rifles, five of which were seized from the hideouts of Javaid Qureshi and another at the behest of Jameel Qureshi, 450 rounds, 20 magazines, 18 Chinese grenades, detonators, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), battery chargers, pencils cells, bags, mobile handsets and some other items. Police had earlier destroyed his two hideouts in Marmat in which one PIKA gun and one AK rifle besides other arms, ammunition and explosive items had been seized.

December 21: A militant belonging to the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) outfit was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for 10 years by a fast track court in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh for attempting to set off explosions in the city. The militant, identified as Fayaz, a resident of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir was arrested on August 12, 2008, near the Ghaziabad railway station with explosives and firearms. He was wanted in several bomb blast cases in Kashmir.

December 20: Police recovered a consignment of arms and ammunition from a hideout of the militants at Nag Nullah in the Marmat area of Doda District on the disclosures of arrested Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM)  ‘divisional commander’ Javaid Qureshi.

December 18: Army recovered explosive devices including a 10 kilograms Improvised Explosive Device (IED), concealed in a tin, from Panjal Gali in Danna Daryal forest area of Budhal in Rajouri District of Jammu and Kashmir. Troops conducted searches in Panjal Gali and made the recoveries, which included 10 kilograms IED, one UBGL launcher, one I Com radio set, four Chinese grenades and three kilograms explosive powder. Army sources said that the Recoveries belonged to the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) outfit

December 17: The Security Forces carried out three operations, on the disclosures of arrested Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘divisional commander’ Ghulam Nabi Sheikh alias Javaid Qureshi and his associate Tanveer Ahmed, in the Marmat area of Doda District and recovered a large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosive devices. The recoveries made from Darot forest area included one Light Machine Gun (LMG), one PIKA gun, seven Rocket Propelled Gun (RPG) rockets and two RPG boosters. From another spot near Darot, 11 AK magazines, four Chinese grenades, one pistol and 10 rounds were recovered. From Riyali forests, one AK ammunition box carrying 700 rounds was seized. As reported earlier, Javaid Qureshi and Tanveer Ahmed were arrested by Dehradun Police in Azad Nagar area of Uttaranchal on December 11, where they had reportedly gone to disturb passing out parade of Indian Military Academy (IMA) and were staying in a rented house.

Further, the SFs arrested an Over Ground Worker (OGW) of HM, identified as Mohammad Shaffi, from village Milhala in the Gulabgarh area of Reasi District. The OGW was a close associate of HM ‘district commander’ Basharat and slain militant Irfan Mushtaq.

December 14: Two suspected militants belonging to the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) were arrested in the Kotla area of the Nurpur sub-division in Kangra District. The duo, identified as Jameel Ahmed and Gulam Nabi, hailing from Doda District of Jammu and Kashmir, were masquerading as manual workers. They were also found carrying fictitious identity cards.

December 13: Troops of Counter Insurgency Force (Uniform) recovered explosives and ammunition during a search operation at village Bajali in the Mahore area of Reasi District. Recoveries included eight kilograms of explosives, 176 rounds of AK, 13 detonators, six Under Barrel Grenade Launcher rounds, one Rocket-Propelled Grenade round and three improvised explosive device boxes with time circuits. The explosives had been buried underground by the militants of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), the report added.

December 11: Doda Police took the custody of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘divisional commander’ Ghulam Nabi Sheikh alias Javaid Qureshi and his associate Tanveer Ahmed from Dehradun Police in Uttaranchal. They were arrested from Dehradun where they had gone to disturb the passing out parade of Indian Military Academy (IMA).

December 10: An alleged Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant was arrested from Dehradun's Patel Nagar. The militant, identified as Ghulam Nabi Sheikh was arrested along with his cousin, Tanveer Ahmad. According to IGP (Garhwal range) M A Ganpati the arrested duo were planning to sabotage the Passing Out Parade (POP) of the Indian Military Academy.

December 6: Police got the remand of Pakistani militant and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘divisional commander’ Mohammad Abdullah Chechi alias Abdullah Inqullabi for four more days to continue his sustained custodial interrogation. Police also detained six more contacts of Inqullabi from different parts of Rajouri District for questioning. As reported earlier, Abdullah was arrested by Police in Delhi on November 14.

December 5: The SFs arrested a Pakistan-trained militant of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), identified as Mohammad Iqbal Lone alias Aqib along with arms and ammunition from Pattan area in Baramulla District. The recoveries included a pistol along with magazine, six rounds and two hand grenades.

December 1: Doda Police have initiated a process to attach the property of about 100 militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), who were involved in a series of subversive activities in Doda District, including killings, but were presently operating from Pakistan or Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). Proceedings to attach property of two ‘commanders’ —one each of LeT and HM — were set into motion on November 30 after Police got proclamation against the militants issued under Section 87 of the Criminal Procedure Code from the court. The militants against whom the process to attach property has been initiated, included Mohammad Amin alias Khubeb son of Dawood Bhat, a resident of (r/o) Kathwa, Thathri, a LeT ‘commander’, who has been operating as 'Launching Officer’ in PoK with the name of Gazi and Abdul Rashid son of Arsala Khandey r/o Khanpura in Thathri, who is reportedly based in a Muzaffarabad camp of HM in PoK. The militants have property in the form of houses, shops, and costlier goods etc. in Thathri and other places in Doda.

The cases are being prepared to get proclamation against many other militants issued from the court to attach their property and send a stern message to the militants and their commanders that they could face action in the First Information Reports (FIRs) registered against them despite fleeing to Pakistan or PoK, official sources said. To avoid from getting their property attached, the militants would have to return and surrender. The State Government has already announced a Rehabilitation Policy for the militants under which they could return to the State from PoK.

November 28: Two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants were killed by the Security Forces (SFs) in a 16-hour-long encounter in a deep natural cave at Kalamul forests on the outskirts of village Budi in the Gandoh area of Doda District. The slain militants were identified as Tauseef Ahmed and Imtiyaz Ahmed. While Tauseef was an ‘A’ category militant, Imtiyaz belonged to ‘B’ category. The duo had joined militancy in 2008 and was involved in a series of subversive activities. The slain militants were operating with Ghulam Nabi ‘Gama’, a ‘district commander’ of the outfit under the overall command of HM supreme in Doda-Kishtwar, Shah Din Khandey. Gama is the only hardcore militant now left in Gandoh along with his two body-guards.A Light Machine Gun (LMG), looted from a Police post along with other weapons from Chilyas Police post on September 9, 2006, was also recovered from the possession of slain militants along with one pistol, magazines and rounds of both the weapons, a mobile telephone which they had damaged before being killed and currency notes which they had torn inside the hideout. Police said the LMG had been looted by the HM militants along with three Self Loading Rifles (SLRs), one AK and one Insas rifles from the Police post on September 9, 2006.

November 26: On the disclosures of arrested HM ‘commander’ Mohammad Abdullah Chechi alias Inqullabi before the Delhi Police, Rajouri Police arrested three militants. All three militants, identified as Mohammad Junaid, Mohammad Arif and Tahir, were part of Inqullabi’s team, which had been assisting him in moving from one part to another within the State and had also arranged his temporary stay in New Delhi, Police sources said. One of the arrestee was a TATA Sumo operator, who had dropped Chechi to Jammu from Shopian on November 7. As reported earlier, Delhi Police arrested Inqullabi in the evening of November 14 from Deer Park near Indian Institute of Technology in South Delhi on the inputs provided by Jammu and Rajouri Police. Inqullabi’s wife, Shehnaz alias Dilshad alias Ujefi and her father Bashir Bakerwal have already been arrested by Rajouri Police.

November 24: A top ‘commander’ of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Showket Ahmed, was arrested by the SFs at Kakapora in Pulwama District, official sources said.

November 22: The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘divisional commander’ Mohammad Abdullah Chechi alias Abdullah Inqullabi, a Pakistani militant who was arrested in New Delhi in the night of November 14, according to reports was so much desperate to reach Pakistan along with his wife Shehnaz Akhter alias Dilshad alias Ujefi of Daleri in the Kandi area of Rajouri District that he had offered to get four militants of his outfit killed by providing information to a Police officer in Rajouri District about them in lieu of a passport for his wife. Official sources said Inqullabi after executing his mission in New Delhi wanted to flee to Nepal or Bangladesh via Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh or West Bengal respectively on way to Pakistan as he had completed more than 10 years of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. Reports further indicate that not only Shehnaz but also her parents — Bashir Bakerwal and Qasim Jan had later also joined the militancy on being lured by Inqullabi. Qasim Jan was arrested by Shopian Police along with a HM militant early this year while transporting arms and INR 4.4 lakh worth hawala money for the militants, Shehnaz and Bashir Bakerwal alias Nissar were arrested by Rajouri Police on November 15. Qasim Jan has been detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA).

November 21: Intelligence inputs sent to Mumbai Police by Central Agencies have hinted at Islamist militant outfits Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and Indian Mujahideen (IM) joining forces to carry out a terror attack on a five-star hotel in Mumbai, similar to the November 26, 2008 offensive. Security agencies said a seven-member gang comprising operatives from the three outfits has apparently been dispatched to the city.

November 19: Police neutralised a hideout of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘divisional commander’ Mohammad Abdullah Chechi alias Abdullah Inqullabi, who was arrested in New Delhi in the night of November 14, at Tangmarg in Kulgam District. Recoveries made from the hideout included one Chinese pistol with two magazines and eight rounds, one UBGL thrower, one UBGL grenade, nine AK magazines, 162 AK rounds and two Chinese grenades. No arrests were made from the hideout, official sources said.

November 16: Police said a youth of Bhatindi on the outskirts of Jammu City, who had gone to become a militant in Kishtwar District recently has joined militancy and was untraced. Police said 17 year old Junaid Akram Malik son of Reyaz-ul-Hassan Malik, a resident of Sangram Bhatta in Kishtwar District, presently putting up at Bhatindi in Jammu joined Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) in the Dachan area of Marwah forests. Azhar Ali Bhat, 28, son of Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, a resident of village Kijaie in Asthan Payeen area of Kishtwar District, who had taken Junaid to Dachan forests for his recruitment and training, was arrested by the Police in Kishtwar on November 16.

Police said Azhar was associated with Amir Kamal alias Akram, a ‘B’ category militant of HM, who was active in the Dachan area of Marwah for past quite sometime. It was on the directions of Amir Kamal that Azhar had recruited Junaid into the militancy after visiting his house twice in Jammu. Junaid was picked up from Kishtwar bus stand and handed over to HM operative Irshad Ahmed, son of Ghulam Mustafa Akhoon, a resident of Lidri in Dachan. Akhoon has also been arrested by the Police. After taking Junaid to Dachan, Irshad handed him over to ‘Chacha’ a known trainer of HM. Chacha later introduced Junaid to Amir Kamal alias Akram. Irshad Ahmed is a Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT, Teaching Guide) teacher at primary school in Lidri.

November 16: The suspected Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant, arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi Police on November 14 was wanted in nearly 10 cases involving several killings in the past decade. The arrestee, identified as Mohammed Abdullah alias Abdullah Inquilabi, a resident of Shahdara at Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir was wanted in several cases in Jammu and Kashmir. He was allegedly involved in the killing of the members of a community at Budhal in 2005. Also, he and his accomplices allegedly killed three Police personnel in another case. The Police suspect his involvement in nearly two dozen killings and abductions. According to sources, Abdullah claimed that he was brainwashed and initiated into terrorism by a cleric named Maulvi Ashraf in 2000. Through him, he came in contact with Mohammad Masood Sarfaraz the then ‘Supreme Commander’ of the Pir Panjal unit of HM.

November 14: A suspected Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant hailing from Pakistan, wanted in many cases in Jammu and Kashmir, was arrested near Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus in South Delhi after a shoot out, Police said. Abdullah Inquilabi, a ‘divisional commander’ of the outfit in Jammu and Kashmir''s Rajouri District, was arrested by Delhi Police''s Special Cell, the elite anti-terror wing, from Deer Park near IIT soon after he alighted from a bus. "As soon as he alighted, we tried to catch him. He tried to escape and went inside the park and we chased him. In a bid to escape, he opened fire. Three-four rounds were fired," an unnamed senior Police official said.

Inquilabi, who was arrested after a brief exchange of fire, has been staying in the country for the past 10 years and had reached the capital five days ago, the official said. Inquilabi is suspected to be involved in several HM operations in the country besides collection of funds for the terror outfit.

November 11: Shah Wali, son of Ghulam Mohammad, a resident of Baddar in Mahore in Reasi District and a close associate of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘district commander’ for Reasi, Mohammad Basharat, was arrested by the Security Forces (SFs) in Mahore. Wali had been arranging sheep, mobile phones, boots used for travelling in snow and cash for the HM for past quite sometime. Besides Basharat, reportedly headquartered in forests of Mahore-Kulgam border, Wali was also helping Rashid and Shaffi, two other HM militants. Sources said few surviving militants HM have shifted to forest areas on the border of Reasi and Kulgam Districts and keep on changing positions.

Meanwhile, Police detained another HM militant, identified as Shabir Ahmed, under the Public Safety Act (PSA). After detention of under the PSA, he has been sent to jail. Shabir had recently been arrested in Mahore while plotting killing of five Gujjars to take the revenge of the killing of his uncle and top HM ‘commander’ Mushtaq Ahmed, who was killed by the SFs sometime back in Mahore.

November 10: Troops neutralised a hideout of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants and recovered explosive devices and ammunition at village Bakhteer in Chajru area of Reasi District. Recoveries made from the hideout included one Pakistan made 9-mm pistol with one magazine, two AK magazines and 53 rounds, 10 PIKA ammunition, one Chinese grenade, five UBGL grenades, five detonators and one Improvised Explosive Device (IED), weighing 10 kilograms.

November 8: A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant, identified as Mohammad Iqbal Naik (code name Majid), surrendered before Army and Police in Ramsu area of Ramban District. He handed over one pistol, one magazine, three rounds and one mobile telephone at the time of surrender.

October 31: One militant was killed in a gun battle between militants and Security Forces (SFs) near Ahad-Bab-morh area in the Sopore town of Baramulla District. A civilian, who was caught in the cross-fire, was injured. The gunfight was on till the reports last came in. 

Separately, a total of 26 signed letter pads of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘supreme commander’ and United Jihad Council (UJC) chief Syed Salahuddin were recovered from the possession of two militants arrested on October 20 by the Special Operations Group (SOG) from Jammu Railway Station. The letter heads, according to official sources, were to be used by the militants to appoint new ‘commanders’ of HM in the State.

Meanwhile, apprehending rise in infiltration attempts before the closure of the passes, General- Officer-in-Command (GOC, 16 Core) Lieutenant General Rameshwar Roy on October 31 said there would be no change in the strategy in countering infiltration attempts from across the border along Line of Control (LoC). ''As the previous strategy remained successful and helped Army in foiling almost all infiltration attempts and eliminating terrorists including the top ‘commanders’, there will be no change in it,'' he told reporters. ''Pressure will definitely be on Pir Panjal Range as passes will close with the onset of winters but we are equipped to meet any eventuality,'' the GOC said. He added that the over 700-km of LoC is being well manned by the Army.

October 30: The Security Forces (SFs) intensified search operation for four top ranking Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants at Aiyyar forests in Navapachi area of Marwah in Kishtwar District of Jammu and Kashmir as more troops were rushed to dense forests in mountainous areas to neutralise the militants, who were holed-up for last six days. Official sources said the militants were equipped with sophisticated weapons. The militants, according to intercepts, were identified as Sajjad Ahmed alias Rezwan, Shakir Hussain alias Chota Hafeez and Mohammad Shaffi. Identity of their fourth associate was not ascertained so far. Rezwan and Chota Hafeez were ‘commanders’ of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit while two others were their associates.

October 28: Security Forces rescued a Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT, Teaching Guide) teacher, Irshad Ahmed, abducted by the militants from Hanjar forests in Marwah area of Kishtwar District. As reported earlier, two ReT teachers were abducted by the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants in Marwah area of Kishtwar District in the night of October 26. Ghulam Mohammad and Irshad Ahmed were abducted when they were returning from their duties. While Ghulam managed to escape from captivity of the militants, Irshad remained under the militant’s captivity.

October 26: Two Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT, Teaching Guide) teachers were abducted by the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants in Marwah area of Kishtwar District. Official sources said Ghulam Mohammad and Irshad Ahmed were abducted when they were returning from their duties. While Ghulam managed to escape from captivity of the militants, Irshad was still held hostage by the militants. The abductors included Sajjad Ahmed alias Rezwan and Shakir Hussain alias Chota Hafeez besides their two unidentified associates.

October 25: Troops on October 25 laid an ambush at village Mundakbas in the Khari area of Banihal tehsil (revenue unit) in the Ramban District following reports that Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘commander’ Qari Zubair along with his two associates had come to the village to extort funds from the local people. Observing movement of the troops, the militants opened heavy firing. The militants also fired a rifle grenade but it didn’t explode. Though no casualties were reported, the three militants managed to escape deep into the forests. Qari Zubair and his associates are known for resorting to atrocities on the villagers who are unable to pay funds and ration to them.

Separately, Police and Security Forces (SFs) arrested two HM militants, including a Government School teacher, and foiled their plot to kill five Gujjars, who had helped Police in eliminating a top HM ‘commander’ Mushtaq Ahmed alias Irfan in the Mahore area of Reasi District recently. The arrestees, identified as Shabir Ahmed and Mohammad Ashraf, were arrested from village Lower Dubri in Mahore area. Ashraf was a Government teacher posted in Government Higher Secondary School in Mahore. Deputy Inspector General of Police (Udhampur-Reasi) range Gulzar Singh Slathia said the HM militants were plotting to kill five Gujjars, who had helped Police and SFs in killing Mushtaq Ahmed.

October 24: About 1400 militants from different parts of the State with majority of them drawn from Kashmir Valley were still putting up in training camps of various outfits in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). Some of them have been readied by Pakistan Army and Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) to push them into the Indian side from the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB). This has been disclosed by Abdul Waris alias Tauseef Illahi son of Abdul Rashid Sheikh, a resident of Kishtwar and Musarat Hussain Zargar alias Firdous son of Ghulam Qadir, a resident of Gandoh, Doda, the two close confidant of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) supremo Syed Salahuddin during their continued interrogation by the Special Operations Group (SOG), Jammu. Illahi and Zargar, who had taken aerial route to enter India from Pakistan via Nepal and subsequently reached Jammu from New Delhi where they were arrested, were reported to have disclosed that majority of 1400 militants from Jammu and Kashmir were affiliated with Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and HM outfits.

October 23: The Special Operations Group (SOG) arrested two top militants of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) from Railway Station soon after they landed in Jammu by a train from New Delhi. The militants had been in Pakistan since 1999 where they had been training the militants after completion of their own training. The arrested militants have been identified as Basharat Ahmed, a resident of Gandoh in Doda District and Musharat Hussain of Kishtwar District. The militants disclosed that they were sent on a confirmed visa and passport by HM leadership from Karachi (Pakistan) to Nepal by air. From Nepal, they entered into India by a bus. They reached Uttar Pradesh and then New Delhi. From Delhi, they reached Jammu by train where they were arrested. The militants were planning to travel to Doda by a TATA Sumo where they had to mobilize local youth into militancy in Doda and Kishtwar Districts and offer them training in handling of weapons in upper reaches. The militants had been promised that a group of militants already operating in Doda and Kishtwar Districts and over ground network of HM will help them in co-ordinating their activities.

October 22: Nearly 80 trained militants, armed with sophisticated weapons, are waiting to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir from across the border along the Line of Control (LoC) to create trouble in the State in the run up to American President Barack Obama's visit to India early November, reported Times of India. Intelligence inputs, available with security agencies, pointed out that the militants, belonging to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e- Mohammad (JeM), Al Badar, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and other terror groups, are looking for opportunities to cross over to Jammu and Kashmir. "The next 10 days are very crucial. We have information that the militants will try to engage in violence in the run up to the US president's visit to India," a Government official said.

The official said, "Militants may also try to attack security forces and public properties before or during the shift of government machinery from Srinagar to Jammu, the winter capital of the State, on November 4 and 5". "At present, there are about 500 active militants in the State, and there also is need for us to step up vigil in the border areas as the threat of infiltration persists," Jammu and Kashmir's Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda told reporters in Srinagar on October 21. "The leadership of various outfits such as Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, HUJI [Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami] had done recess along the LoC to plan infiltration. The HM supreme and United Jihad Council (UJC) Chief Syed Sallaudin also visited camps to morally boost his cadres along the Indo-Pak border some time back," the sources said.

October 21: The Security Forces also arrested a HM militant, Ghulam Ahmad Peer, from Fruit Mandi in Braripora in Handwara area of Kupwara District. Peer, who was an active militant for the past 16 years, had gone to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in 1994 for receiving training in arms handling. Two identity cards and a Pakistani passport were recovered from his possession at the time of the arrest.

October 18: Troops destroyed a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) hideout at village Bhor Dhar near Ahma in the Banihal area of Ramban District. Recoveries made from the hideout included one pistol, one radio set, one bag and one mobile charger.

In addition, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by militants just outside the Police Control Room (PCR) complex in Srinagar was destroyed by the SFs. The IED was recovered half an hour before scheduled start of a security meeting in the PCR.

The SFs on October 17 rescued two Kashmiri youths, identified as Mohammad Altaf and Imtiyaz Ahmed, from Mahore in Reasi District when they were being taken for arms training by a HM militants. The rescued youth were handed over to their family members by the SF personnel on October 18. Official sources said the youth had been lured into militancy by the HM in Kulgam District, bordering upper reaches of Mahore. Sources said both HM and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) networks were running short of cadre in almost the entire State.

October 17: Two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants, identified as Hilal Ahmad Rather and Showkat Ahmad Mir, were arrested by the Security Forces (SFs) from the Pattan area of Baramulla District. One pistol, one pistol magazine, five rounds and two hand grenades were recovered from their possession. An unnamed senior Police official said the duo were also found involved in the recent spell of violent protests in the Pattan area. "They were instigating the youth to confront the security forces and with their arrest, we are hopeful that the situation in Pattan and adjoining areas will improve," the officer said.

Further, Police arrested a suspected HM militant, identified as Mohammad Rafiq, and foiled his plot to get two contractors killed dubbing them as militants at village Shikari in the Mahore area of Reasi District. Sources said Rafiq during questioning has admitted that he tried to trap the contractors and get them killed by Police due to his personal enmity with them.

Meanwhile, Police continued searches for three HM militants, identified as Basharat, Rashid and Shaffi, in upper reaches of Mahore, bordering Kulgam District. Though all of them had escaped to Kulgam few days back following pressure maintained on them by the SFs, there were reports that they were trying to come back to Mahore again to revive network of HM.

October 14: Three Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants, including a self styled ‘battalion commander’ of the Pir Panjal regiment, were killed in an encounter with the Security Forces (SFs) in the Shopian District. The SFs cordoned off Lone Mohalla of Chewan village in the Keller area in the night of October 13 following information about the presence of three militants in the area, official sources said. Search operations were launched in the morning of October 14. As the SFs zeroed in on the target house of one Manzoor Ahmad Lone, where the militants were hiding, the militants opened indiscriminate firing on them. Later, in an encounter that lasted several hours all three militants were killed while the house of Lone was completely damaged. The slain militants were identified as self styled ‘battalion commander’ Jehangir Ahmad alias Jana Khan, Shabir Ahmad alias Abu Sikander and Arif Ahmad alias Abu Umer. An Army officer, identified as Major Prabhat, sustained minor injuries during the operation. One AK rifle, one INSAS rifle, one Chinese pistol, one UBGL and one hand grenade were recovered from the encounter site.

October 13: Faced with the leadership crisis, decreasing number of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) cadres and lack of local support in many pockets of the Jammu and Kashmir, the terrorists have made a shift in their operational strategy while over 450-500 trained armed militants are reportedly waiting at the launching pads on that side along the Line of Control (LoC) in the South of Pir Panjal range. "There has been a shift in the strategy of militants due to lack of considerable local support from the populace in the hinterland. They are not getting hideouts, food and shelter in the populated areas. Top terrorist leadership has been wiped out and the lower cadre is at the run. They have now changed strategy of mingling with the crowd and processionists, instigate them to resort to violence and stone pelting", General Officer Commanding (16 Corps) and Security Advisor Lieutenant General Rameshwar Roy said at Nagrota.

The Corps Commander also said that the intra-organisational rivalries mostly between LeT and HM have also created problems for them in carrying on their activities. Both the outfits are unable to get new recruits and adequate support from the over ground workers or the local support. The recent spurt in violent crowd in parts of Poonch and Kashmir Valley gave sufficient inputs regarding mixing of such elements with the crowd and indulging in destruction of public property, attacks on forces and instigating youth to stoning, making them their soft targets. While referring to the impact of disturbances in Kashmir Valley, he said that it had a very little effect on this side of the Pir Panjal, which divides the Valley and Jammu region. The protests in Kashmir have disrupted the economy, tourism and other development activities, which otherwise was at peak during 2008, 2009 and first half of 2010.

In reply to question he said as per intelligence inputs and intercepts nearly 450-500 trained armed terrorists are waiting to cross over to this side at the launching pads along the Line of Control (LoC) in south of Pir Panjal. There may be almost equal number of militants across the LoC on the north of Pir Panjal but these figures may not be accurate. When asked about the infiltration status in Jammu and Rajouri-Poonch sectors, he said that infiltration attempts have been increased but there was sharp decline in the terrorist violence. There was no let up in the anti-terrorist operations and since January 2010, nearly 227 militants have been eliminated along LoC and the interior areas in the State. He however, claimed that infiltration level was almost zero but in view of human error sometimes or mountainous topography of the area along LoC in Poonch and Rajouri, a few number may have been able to cross over to this side. When asked about the involvement of women in militancy, he said, "We do not have confirmation about them being active in terrorism but some of them may be working as over ground workers".

October 12: The Police arrested four persons, including a woman, for allegedly acting as couriers for Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant in the Kulgam District and recovered huge cache of ammunition and cash. "The arrests were effected during a checking of vehicles at Tangmarg in Kulgam following intelligence inputs about movement of arms and ammunition," a Police spokesman said. He said Police had been monitoring the movements of Mohammad Farooq Deeded and Qasim Jan, wife of Mohammad Bashir Deeded. "The duo was close associates of a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militant Abdullah Inquilabi of Peer Panjal Range. They were to hand-over a consignment of arms, ammunition and cash to the militant," the spokesman added. The other two arrestees were identified as Nazir Poswal and Mohammad Iqbal Magray. The recoveries made include INR 4 40 000, one PIKA gun, 18 rounds of PIKA ammunition, one Chinese pistol, one binocular and two RPG shells, four AGL shells, two improvised explosive device circuit boxes, one mobile charging apparatus and one kilogram explosive material.  

October 11 Army Chief General V. K. Singh said that infiltration bids from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir have increased during the last two months, with around 25 such incidents being witnessed in which nearly 40 militants were killed during the period. To deal with the situation, the Army has evolved a strategy under which even if somebody manages to infiltrate the Indian Territory "he gets killed later on", he added. "As far as infiltration is concerned, we have controlled it to a large extent... In the last two months, there have been many attempts to infiltrate and we have achieved a lot of success also in this regard," he told reporters. He, however, did not give the figures preceding August. Talking about the last two months, he said, "we have had approximately 20-25 attempts and the total number of terrorists killed during this period has been about 35-40." Asked about reports suggesting that Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) chief Syed Salahuddin, along with officials of Pakistan Army and Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), has been visiting terror camps situated along the LoC, General Singh said, "Salahuddin is on the other side... We are not worried with whom he goes around. If he tries to infiltrate, he would also be dealt within the same way his accomplices are."

October 8: The Security Forces (SFs) arrested a top ranking militant of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) in Ramban Districts and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition. SFs launched a search operation at Bhimdasa forests in Gool area of Ramban District and arrested top ranking HM militant, identified as Abdul Rashid. Encounter was still going on to capture another militant identified as Mohammad Iqbal son of Ghulam Akbar Naik R/o Khari. Recoveries made from the site of encounter included one pistol, eight rounds, 194 AK rounds, 237 Pika rounds and a large quantity of ration items.

Further, the Military Intelligence and Counter Intelligence personnel arrested a top ranking HM militant, identified as Munir Ahmed Malik alias Munna (26), son of Abdul Rashid, a resident of Drodhi in Gandoh area of Doda District and recovered Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), concealed in apple boxes. Sources said that Munna dropped the IEDs wrapped in 10 boxes of apple at parapet of the road on Indira Chowk-MLA Hostel stretch and left in the same Sumo No. 4849 JMU. The consignment was to be picked up by another militant, who didn’t turn up.

October 5: Militants of several groups, including the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), are waiting along the Line of Control (LoC) in a bid to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir, an unnamed senior army official said. "Operatives of several militant groups like LeT, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, JeM and HuJI [Harkat-ul-Mujahideen], are positioned along the LoC and making desperate attempts everyday to cross the border. There are eight to nine militants in each group who keep attempting to get a chance to sneak into our territory," he said. He also noted that once they fail to succeed at one place due to high alertness of Indian troops, they immediately move to other locations to make a fresh attempt. He further pointed out, "Pakistan Security Forces are clearly involved in supporting terrorist activities to create insecurity in Jammu and Kashmir, especially in Jammu region."

October 5: Police and Central Reserve Police Force personnel in the night of October 5 shot dead two top militants of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) in a fierce encounter at Deedan Gali in the Mahore area of Reasi District. One of them, identified as Mushtaq Ahmed alias Irfan, was a ‘district commander’ of the outfit and was among the few longest surviving militants as he was active since 1999 and was involved in more than 10 killings, Deputy Inspector General (Udhampur-Ramban) range Gulzar Singh Slathia said. Irfan’s associate, Shabir Ahmed alias Abu Hamza was also killed in the gun battle. Official sources said Police had a specific input about the movement of two top militants in the area. As soon as they came to the village and started extorting money from the people, they were challenged by the Security Forces and shot dead in a two hour long encounter. A large quantity of arms and ammunition, including two assault rifles were recovered from the slain militants.

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel on October 5 arrested two alleged operatives of Pakistan-based militant outfits, Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), from the Airport Railway Station area in Dhaka, reports Daily Star. The arrestees were LeT cadre Abdul Malek alias Golam Mohammad (45), of village Indranagar in Kaliganj sub-district of Satkhira District and his associate, Pakistani citizen Mohammad Shafi alias Shamiullah alias Mostak (30), a HM operative.

October 3: Army and Police rescued two youth, including a surrendered militant, who had re-cycled into militancy, from the clutches of a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘district commander’ in the Palmar area of Patimahal in Kishtwar District.

September 29: Army and Police recovered a huge quantity of explosive material and arms and ammunition in Kishtwar District. The SFs carried out a joint search operation in Bichar forest area of Chatru after information that the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants had dumped a major consignment of explosives and arms in a natural cave to carry out blasts and other subversive activities in the district. Recoveries included 25 kilograms of RDX, two pistols (one Chinese and another Pakistani), two 12 bore rifles, two wireless sets, five grenades, one grenade of Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), 14 gelatine sticks, 288 AK-47 rounds and a large quantity of ration items.

September 29: A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant, identified as Taj Mohammad, 26, surrendered before the troops in the Thanna Mandi area of Rajouri District along with arms and explosive devices. At the time of surrender, Taj handed over one AK-47 rifle with one magazine and 30 rounds, one hand grenade, 22 detonators, one Identity card, PKR 500 and one matrix sheet. In August, the LeT militant Rafiya Maulvi, a ‘district commander’ and his associate Mohammad Asif had surrendered before the troops in Doda.

September 27: A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant, identified as Farooq Ahmed, was arrested by Army and Police in a joint operation from village Nihal in the Gulabgarh area of Mahore in Reasi District. Farooq was working for Basharat Ahmed, a ‘divisional commander’ of the HM for Gulabgarh, presently operating in Kulgam District.

September 23: Security Forces (SF) shot dead another militant in the overnight encounter at Sopore in Baramulla District, taking toll of the slain militants in 30-hour-long operation to two. As reported earlier, a militant was killed in the same area on September 22. The slain militants belonged to the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) outfit and were identified as Azad Ahmad and Tauseef Ahmad alias Seepa. One trooper was also injured in the gun battle. While the house, where the militants were hiding, got damaged in the exchange of firing between the two sides, the SFs recovered some arms and ammunition from the incident site.

September 8: Meanwhile, a ‘section commander’ of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Azad Ahmed alias Waseem, killed a fresh recruit, Firdous Ahmed Jral alias Gazi Furqan (17), of the outfit at Beri Mandool in the Marmat area of Doda District because of personal rivalry. Both the militants were reported to have exchanged few rounds of firing before one of them was killed. Azad is reportedly one of the longest surviving militant for last 12 years, while Firdous had joined militancy on July 20, 2010.

September 6: Police arrested two militants of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) from Marmat area of Doda District. The arrestees were identified as Nawaj Ahmed Hajam and Farooq Ahmed.

September 3: A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘divisional commander’ Firdous Ahmed Mattoo alias Prince, operating in Kishtwar District for last several years, surrendered before Anantnag Police.

Meanwhile, a recently arrested Surankote based HM militant, Liaquat Hussain, during his questioning by Police revealed that nearly 15 young girls of Surankote tehsil (revenue unit) in Poonch District, who have been taken to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) by the militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and HM by marrying them, were also undergoing arms training in different camps across the Line of Control (LoC). Liaquat is reported to have disclosed that Pakistan Army and militant ‘commanders’ have given a plot of land to each woman militant and INR 5 lakh for construction in Bagh area of PoK after they agreed to undergo training and join the cadre of militants. Besides 13 to 15 Poonch women, nearly 100 women militants of Pakistan were also being trained in militancy by Pakistan Army and their commanders.

September 2: Security Forces (SFs) on September 2 neutralised a hideout of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants at Dachan in Kishtwar District and recovered arms and ammunition. Recoveries included one AK-47 rifle, three magazines, 30 rounds, one SLR with ammunition, a pouch, transistor and a jacket. The militants, however, managed to escape.

August 31: A Special Police Officer (SPO), Masood Ahmed Wani, who was a surrendered militant of the Hizb-ul- Mujahideen (HM), was shot dead by the militants at Dachchan in the Kishtwar District. Sources said three militants surrounded the SPO’s house and started firing. The SPO retaliated but his SLR got jammed. The militants, identified as Zakir Hussain alias Khalid, Mohammad Yaseen alias Junaid and Shabir Ahmed alias Imran, affiliated to HM, then entered his house and shot him dead.

August 30: The Security Forces destroyed a hideout of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants and recovered arms and explosives at village Naika in Gulabgarh area of Reasi District. Recoveries made from the hideout included one Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), six UBGL grenades, one AK rifle with eight rounds and a combat dress.

August 25: Police arrested a close aide of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘district commander’ Qari Zubair in Ramban District. The arrestee, identified as Muzaffar Hussain Shah, was working for the HM for past several months providing them logistic support including shelter and eatable items.

August 21: Police arrested a close aide of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘divisional commander’ along with seven SIM cards, including five belonging to Aircel, and detected a unique modus operandi adopted by him to manage Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards for the militants. Attequllah Dar, 28, son of Rehmatullah Dar, a resident of Behota in the Marmat area of Doda District used to steal documents of the youths, who had applied for posts in Block Development Office at Marmat and other places, to obtain the SIM cards. He had also managed to get Voter identity cards and a fake stamp of a Government official to get the cards for the militants.

August 21: Police arrested a close lieutenant of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) divisional commander. Seven subscriber identity module (SIM) cards including five belonging to Aircel were recovered from his possession. Police detected a unique modus operandi adopted by him to manage SIMs for the militants. Attequllah Dar (28), a resident of Behota at Marmat in Doda District used to steal documents of the youths, who had applied for posts in Block Development Office at Marmat and other places, to obtain the SIM cards. Besides arranging SIM cards for the militants, Dar was also providing other logistic support to Javed Qureshi and his sympathizers.

August 29: Security Forces (SFs) neutralised a hideout of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and recovered a consignment of explosive material and ammunition in the Taryath area of Rajouri District. The recoveries included two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), one kilogram of RDX, 60 PIKA rounds, 211 AK rounds, two AK magazines and one binocular.

August 12: Security Forces (SFs) neutralised a militant hideout and recovered a consignment of arms and explosives at village Taparwan in Pogal area of Banihal in Ramban District. The recoveries included one AK-56 rifle with one magazine and 75 rounds, 16 PIKA rounds, two Chinese grenades and five UBGL grenades. A group of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) is reported to be active in the area, official sources said.

August 10: The Security Forces neutralised a hideout of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and recovered a large quantity of explosive devices and ammunition during a search operation at Bal in the Angrala area of Mahore in Reasi District. Recoveries included 20 kilograms of, 15 Chinese grenades, three HE-36 grenades, 19 PIKA rounds and one Yessu wireless set.

August 9: An encounter took place between Security Forces (SFs) and militants at village Adbais in the Mahore area of Reasi District. Troops launched a search operation following an input about the presence of two to three militants in the area. The militants, however, managed to escape during the encounter. The militants were reported to be cadres of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) outfit and one of them was a ‘commander’ of the outfit.

August 5: Nearly 300 SIM cards of different Telecom operators were reported to have reached into the hands of militants in Doda and Kishtwar Districts strengthening communication network of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) outfits in militancy infested areas. Reports said the ‘commanders’ of two outfits—LeT and HM—were currently in possession of five to six SIM cards of different companies, or, in some cases, 10 to 12 activated cards while other militants and Over Ground Workers (OGWs) were having one or two working mobile telephones with them.

July 26: The SFs shot dead a HM militant, identified as Mohammad Ramzan, while his accomplice, Riaz Ahmed, was injured in an encounter at village Anyar in the Marwah area of Kishtwar District.

July 22: The Supreme Court (SC) recorded Pakistan’s hand in the killing of Mirwaiz Moulvi Farooq by militants from Jamaat-e-Islami and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) in 1990 in Srinagar. While upholding the conviction and life sentence to Mohammad Ayub Dar for the murder, the SC said Dar's confession was clear about the training in use of firearms he and his accomplices received in Pakistan during his visit there in 1989. "Dar has given details of the whole outfit including the names of the leader and other companions and the confession also refers to the firearms brought by the group of terrorists from Pakistan and the training which was for bringing into effect the terrorist activity in the Kashmir valley," the SC said. "It has also come in the confession that Dar had visited Pakistan, Lahore and Muzaffarabad to meet other members of the group namely Hyder, Hanif Hyder, Nasir Khan and Yusuf Bangroo on fake passport. The said confession also gives details that the said passport was issued in Sikar, Rajasthan, with visa of Pakistan," the Bench noted. It said: "We are thoroughly convinced that this confession is not only a good, voluntary and truthful confession but a reliable one also and the trial court has committed no mistake whatsoever in relying upon the said confession."

July 21: A militant, identified as Abdul Latief Malik, was arrested by the troops from Banihal in Ramban District along with four Motorola wireless sets (brand new), two binoculars and one mobile telephone. Preliminary questioning of Malik revealed that he had taken the consignment from a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant in Srinagar and had to deliver it to Qari Zubair, HM’s ‘district commander’ for Banihal.

July 19: The Inspector General of Police (IGP, Jammu) said that 49 militants, including 15 commanders of LeT and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) were killed in Jammu zone during six and a half month of 2010 by the Security Forces as compared to elimination of 35 militants during corresponding period in 2009. Killing of 15 LeT and HM commanders this year so far was a big blow to the two outfits, he added. "Though number of the infiltration attempts has gone up on both LoC and IB [International Border] in first half of this year from previous year, there had been very little successful intrusion bids due to alertness displayed by Army and BSF [Border Security Force] on the borders’’, the IGP further said, adding, that majority of infiltration attempts by the militants have been foiled.

July 10: SFs arrested a top Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant, Mohammad Amin alias Jehangir, and his close associate Mohammad Yousuf alias Khalil, during a search operation at Chichha / Padyana forest area in Kishtwar District. Mohammad Amin alias Jehangir was a ‘divisional commander’ of the HM. A brief encounter took place between militants and SFs in which Amin managed to escape. However, his close associate Mohammad Yousuf alias Khalil son of Mohammad Shaffi Khatana, a resident of Bhella Chichha in Padyana area was arrested along with one grenade, 25 rounds of AK ammunition and a pouch. Khalil had joined militancy in September 2009 and was active in Chichha, Pyas, Kidroo, Nawnatoo and Bhella. 

July 9: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has released undated transcripts of conversations between a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) terrorist based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and a local contact who was under surveillance by intelligence agencies. Union Home secretary G. K. Pillai told Doordarshan that there were a "large number of intercepts" from Kashmir and across the border, which clearly indicated that efforts were being made to foment "public disorder". Pillai also said money was flowing from a variety of sources to fund the Jammu and Kashmir unrest. "In about 12 cases, we have found illegitimate transfers and we have taken action," he added. In fact, one of the intercepts discussed the absence of Army deployment in Shopian and Pulwama, indicating those areas could be the target. The intercepts have revealed yet again the role of separatists in fuelling unrest in the State.

The Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) have shifted some of their cadre to Kulgam and Shopian areas from Mahore in Reasi District reportedly after getting a SOS from their ‘commanders’ based in Kashmir Valley. Intelligence reports said a HM’s ‘district commander’ Hanief Mohammad alias Basharat, a known motivator of youths into militancy who was operating in Mahore for past several years, has recently crossed over to Kulgam along with his couple of associates two to three days back on being called by his Valley based ‘commanders’. Three LeT militants led by Abu Qatil have also moved to Kulgam and Shopian areas bordering Mahore through Pir Panjal range during the past few days along with arms and ammunition, reports said. Security Forces (SFs) and Police have intercepted a number of messages of the militants which confirmed departure of Basharat and Qatil along with their associates from upper reaches of Mahore to surrounding Kashmir areas of Kulgam and Shopian. Due to their migration, the activities of remaining cadre of LeT and HM outfits have virtually come to a standstill despite the fact that 14 militants, including four to five foreign mercenaries were still active in Mahore, Arnas and Chasana areas. Reports added that there could be some other reasons also behind migration of the militants from Mahore to Kulgam and Shopian though the apparent cause at this stage appeared to be latest upsurge in Kashmir which the LeT and HM outfits are trying to exploit to the best possible extent. Mounting pressure of Army and police against the militants especially their leadership in Mahore might have also forced the militants to take refuge in some "safe shelter houses’’ in Kulgam, Shopian and surrounding areas for the time being.

Recent incidents of inter-group rivalry among the LeT and HM cadre in Mahore in which some militants have been killed could also be a reason for some militants shifting to Kashmir to get the differences sorted out with the help of their ‘commanders’, reports added further. Few days back, Security Forces and Police had recovered skeleton of a militant in Mahore which was later identified as that of Zubair Gujjar, a LeT militant, who had been shot dead by Irfan Kashmiri, a HM ‘area commander’. Investigations had revealed that Zubair was killed by Irfan Kashmiri to take the revenge of his colleague Abu Talha, a HM militant from Kashmir operating in Mahore-Gool-Gulabgarh belt for past several years. Reports said Hanief alias Basharat, a HM ‘commander’ and Abu Qatil, a LeT militant might have been called by their group leaders for a truce between the two outfits before they suffer more losses.

July 9: The Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) have shifted some of their cadre to Kulgam and Shopian areas from Mahore in Reasi District reportedly after getting a SOS from their ‘commanders’ based in Kashmir Valley. Intelligence reports said a HM’s ‘district commander’ Hanief Mohammad alias Basharat, a known motivator of youths into militancy who was operating in Mahore for past several years, has recently crossed over to Kulgam along with his couple of associates two to three days back on being called by his Valley based ‘commanders’. Security Forces (SFs) and Police have intercepted a number of messages of the militants which confirmed departure of Basharat and Qatil along with their associates from upper reaches of Mahore to surrounding Kashmir areas of Kulgam and Shopian. Due to their migration, the activities of remaining cadre of LeT and HM outfits have virtually come to a standstill despite the fact that 14 militants, including four to five foreign mercenaries were still active in Mahore, Arnas and Chasana areas.

Reports added that there could be some other reasons also behind migration of the militants from Mahore to Kulgam and Shopian though the apparent cause at this stage appeared to be latest upsurge in Kashmir which the LeT and HM outfits are trying to exploit to the best possible extent. Mounting pressure of Army and police against the militants especially their leadership in Mahore might have also forced the militants to take refuge in some "safe shelter houses’’ in Kulgam, Shopian and surrounding areas for the time being.

Recent incidents of inter-group rivalry among the LeT and HM cadre in Mahore in which some militants have been killed could also be a reason for some militants shifting to Kashmir to get the differences sorted out with the help of their ‘commanders’, reports added further. Few days back, Security Forces and Police had recovered skeleton of a militant in Mahore which was later identified as that of Zubair Gujjar, a LeT militant, who had been shot dead by Irfan Kashmiri, a HM ‘area commander’. Investigations had revealed that Zubair was killed by Irfan Kashmiri to take the revenge of his colleague Abu Talha, a HM militant from Kashmir operating in Mahore-Gool-Gulabgarh belt for past several years. Reports said Hanief alias Basharat, a HM ‘commander’ and Abu Qatil, a LeT militant might have been called by their group leaders for a truce between the two outfits before they suffer more losses.

July 6: Taking advantage of the new violence in Kashmir, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘chief’ Syed Salahuddin addressed a rally in Islamabad to "denounce human rights violations in Kashmir". Salahuddin has found himself increasingly isolated as the militant violence in the Valley waned to an all-time low since 1989. The HM, which was once Jammu and Kashmir’s largest indigenous group, has fragmented and July 6’s rally is seen as his desperate attempt to stage a comeback. Salahuddin assailed Islamabad for trying to please New Delhi and extending a warm welcome to Home Minister P Chidambaram last month. "Pakistan’s constant efforts to befriend India are like rubbing salt into the wounds of Kashmiris," he said. Salahuddin claimed Kashmiris consider Pakistan as their lawful representative to raise the Kashmir issue at national and international level.

July 2: Police arrested two of the HM militants after neutralising a militant hideout in the Tanka Top forest area in Ramban District.

June 29: Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested an Over Ground Worker of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), identified as Iftikhar Nabi Lone, from Chatroo area of Kishtwar District and recovered a laptop, printer and mobile phone from his possession which were being used by the militants for sending and receiving terror e-mails. Lone is reported to have links with Firdous Ahmed alias Prince, Wasif, Akram and Rejwan. According to Police, Lone appeared to be a cyber expert and was helping the militants in many ways.

June 27: The Security Forces neutralised the hideout of Mohammad Amin alias Jehangir, a 'deputy divisional commander' of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and recovered a large quantity of ammunition and explosive material during a search operation at Lidhrari in Kishtwar District. Recoveries made include 843 LMG rounds, 111 AK rounds, two AK magazines, 13 UBGL grenades, one I Com wireless set and two batteries.

June 24: The Security Forces arrested two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants from Handwara in Kupwara District. Abdul Hamid Parra alias Suleiman and Ghulam Jeelani alias Khalid were arrested by the SFs along with two pistols, two magazines and 14 rounds. Both Parra, a resident of Tappar in Pattan area of Baramulla District and Wani, a resident of Sopore, were Pakistan trained militants.

June 17: A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘section commander', identified as Abdul Qayoom Wani alias Irfan Rahi, who was operating in Doda and Kishtwar Districts for last 17 years, was shot dead by the Security Forces (SFs) in upper reaches of Behota in the Marmat area of Doda District. Three Police personnel were injured as they slipped from the hills during the operation. One AK-47 rifle, three magazines and a pouch were recovered from the possession of the slain militant.

June 16: Suspected militants lobbed a grenade at Police party in the Pattan area of Baramulla District. Police sources said suspected militants travelling in an unidentified Sumo from Baramulla to Pattan lobbed a grenade at Police party on Naka (barricade) duty at Babateng Pattan and the Sumo returned towards Baramulla from the incident site. The grenade did not explode and it was later destroyed by Bomb Disposal Squad. One Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant and two Over Ground Workers (OGWs) were travelling in the vehicle.

June 16: A batch of youngsters from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala are presently undergoing militant training in Kacharban in PoK, a HM militant has told his interrogators in Jammu and Kashmir. The HM militant Muhammed Ashraf of Budgam in Jammu and Kashmir was arrested by troops of 40 Rashtriya Rifles when he was trying to enter the Indian Territory from Nallah Ban post in Mandi sub sector in Poonch District in May 2010. According to officials, who interrogated Ashraf over the last several days, told Express Buzz over phone from Jammu and Kashmir that about 24 youth belonging to the southern States were lodged in a few quarters in PoK and were receiving militant training. "Those from Dakkan have been lodged separately at Kacharban where the LeT has its training camp. The youngsters from Jammu and Kashmir who are in large numbers are not allowed to meet those from the Dakkan and they are being trained under the supervision of five Lashkar commanders,'' sources, quoting Ashraf, said.

June 15: Only about 500 insurgents, about 40 percent of them foreign militants, are still active in Jammu and Kashmir, said Director General of Police (DGP) Kuldeep Khoda. "There are about 500 militants presently active in Jammu and Kashmir and their number has come down from 700-800 last year and around 1,000 in 2008," Khoda said. The DGP said 40 percent of these militants were foreigners, mostly from Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir (PoK). He said the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) - the terror outfits that have bases in Pakistan - were active in the State. "The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen is more in a supportive role to the LeT but it depends on the plans conceived across (the border)," he said.

June 12: A militant of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) surrendered before the authorities in Kupwara District. Abdul Majeed, who had crossed over to the other side of Line of Control (LoC) for arms training in 1990''s, surrendered before the Police, on his arrival from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) recently.

June 11: A dirty war of supremacy has broken out between militant outfits Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) in Jammu and Kashmir. In the past month or so, three top ‘commanders’ from LeT and HM have been killed in clashes between the two groups in Doda, Reasi and north Kashmir. The latest casualty is the LeT militant Manzoor alias Zuber, who was killed by HM militant Irfan Mushtaq. His dead body was found by the Security Forces on June 11. “A failure to get fresh recruits, drying up of funds and elimination of over 40 terrorists by Security Forces within four months has created a vacuum in the top leadership. This has triggered a fierce rivalry between the LeT and Hizbul, both of whom want to lose control of areas from where they get extortion money,” said Lieutenant Colonel Biplab Nath, defence spokesman at Jammu. Manzoor’s killing comes days after Chota Bashir was killed by his junior, Lateef, at Dessa village in Doda. The assassin was later arrested by Police, but sources said he had surrendered after killing his ‘commander’. “The desire to obtain a larger share of the money routed through hawala channels might be a motive behind the killing. Besides, there was an attempt to show who is mightier,” added Nath.

June 11: A youth, Mohammad Imran, was rescued from captivity of the militants from Chukron forests in Patnazi area of Kishtwar District. Reports said that the youth was lured into militancy by the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) cadres about one month back. His missing report had been lodged by the family with concerned Police Station.

June 9: The wireless intercepts between militants in Jammu and Kashmir and their Pakistani handlers reveal that Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) ‘commander’ Abdullah Ooni is making desperate attempts to run away from the valley as Indian SFs turn the heat on cross-border militants. Ooni, who masterminds the joint operations of the terror syndicate of the LeT, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), has been pleading with his handlers across the border to allow him to return to PoK as he finds the going too hot for him.

June 4: Security Forces foiled another infiltration attempt by the militants on the International Border (IB) in Hiranagar sector. The report said that an unusual presence of some dreaded militants, who appeared to be top commanders of different outfits, has been observed around launching pads in Pakistan side for past few days. Intelligence sources said, ‘‘For the last few days, movement of new militants is being observed at launching pads erected by Pakistan Army, Rangers and ISI close to their posts on the IB on Pakistan side. Two to three such ultras have been seen at every launching pad'', sources said, adding they appeared to be the part of Pakistan's new strategy to force infiltration of held-up militants. Reports have suggested presence of more than 1000 militants opposite IB and Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu region for last several months. These militants, mostly belonging to LeT and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) outfits, were desperately trying to sneak into Indian territory but have been finding the going very tough.

June 3: An Over Ground Worker (OGW) of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Mohammad Ismail, was arrested by SFs from a hideout in Shikari belt of Reasi District. One AK rifle magazine and seven rounds were recovered from his possession.

May 30: In Laloor forests of Doda District, a newly inducted cadre of the HM identified as Abdul Latief, a resident of Laloor killed a ‘district commander’ of the outfit identified as Bashir Ahmed alias Chota Bashir alias Imtiyaz in the night. Abdul Latief, who surrendered before SFs and Police after the killing, along with AK-56 rifle and charged with murder under Section 302 RPC besides other legal provisions of militancy and Arms Act. Latief reportedly to have confessed that he eliminated his commander, who was pressurizing him to induct two particular girls in the outfit. Identity of the girls has been kept secret by the Police. His further interrogation was on to ascertain his more links in HM as well as hide-outs of the outfit in Doda District. According to the SSP of Doda District, with the killing of Chota Bashir and the surrender of Abdul Latief, the HM has been wiped out in Doda tehsil.

May 27: The Jammu and Kashmir Government revoked the detention orders of 25 Pakistani militants lodged in different jails of India to facilitate their return to their country, reports IANS. The State Government acted late in the night of May 27 on the advice of the home ministry, which asked that the militants be released. “Their detention orders under the Public Safety Act (a law that allows the Government to keep people in jail without trial for two years) have been revoked and they would be sent to Wagah in Punjab for their return to Pakistan,” an unnamed official told IANS. All 25 Pakistani militants, who would be handed over to Pakistan authorities at Wagah on May 28, were arrested over the years from Jammu and Kashmir. Some of them were involved in acts of terror, the sources said, but did not specify the exact nature of crime committed by them. Some of them were lodged in jails outside Jammu and Kashmir for security reasons. Most of the militants were of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) outfits, adds Daily Excelsior.

May 26: The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) has asked its Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK)-based leadership to sneak into India and strike in a big way. "Sneak into India fast and do something big," said HM ‘commander’ to one of the outfit’s leaders based in PoK during a conversation intercepted recently by security agencies. The conversation took place between A-category ‘commander’ of HM code Alfa 01 in Pir Panchal Ranges with HM ‘commander’ in PoK Abu Suhaib. The call for infiltration was given by an HM commander on this [Indian] side of the border to his PoK-based counterpart. "As is evident, terrorists especially leaders have been on the run in both Kashmir valley as well as in Jammu region due to increasing number of encounters initiated by security forces in past,". "As compared to the past practice of staying in hideouts, militants have changed their tactics and are now regularly on the move, not staying in one house for more than three hours due to fear of encounters", they added. They do not trust the local population whether Hindus or Muslims anymore and are always on the run trying to revive lost ground. 53 self-styled ‘commanders’ from different outfits – including 23 of the HM, five of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), one of the Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami (HuJI) and one of Al Badr were killed in 2009, which included the HM’s Deputy Chief of Operation Shabir Ahmed, top ‘Divisional Commanders’ of JeM, HM and LeT-Abdullah Satar, Saqib and Yousuf Gujjar. As many as 37 militants were killed in 2010 till May 15, it included 22 ‘commanders’ of the HM, LeT and JeM.

May 26: Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested a teacher and a Special Police Officer (SPO) from Surankote and Poonch. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP, Poonch) Manmohan Singh said the teacher and SPO were arrested following disclosures made by Mohammad Azam (arrested on May 15) during his preliminary questioning that both of them were assisting him in carrying out the militant activities. They have been identified as Nissar Ahmed Banday, working as a teacher in a private school and Mohammad Yunus, a resident of Surankote, posted as a SPO at District Police Lines, Poonch. The SSP said Nissar had taken a weapon from Azam and handed it over to Yunus for INR 20,000. The weapon was to be provided to the militants. All three accused including Azam, Nissar and Yunus were part of a HM Mujahideen module operating in Poonch District and helping the militants in procuring weapons and hawala money from across the LoC.

May 23: The trend of women’s recruitment into militant cadre of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) has been checked to quite an extent due to mobilization of elderly people, former Panchayat (village level local self Government institution) members and families of the women by Police and Intelligence agencies in Doda District. Only those girls, who have married the militants, have refused to join the national mainstream and continued to stay with the commanders of LeT and HM in their hide-outs located in mountainous areas. Accordingly, police have declared these women as ‘B’ category militants for their active participation in militancy.

May 19: The Security Forces (SFs) shot dead two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants, identified as Abdullah Aniece alias Ans alias Faisal Hafiz and Abdullah Mohammad alias Abu Maaz, both belonging to Pakistan, in a day long gun-battle at village Joura under the jurisdiction of Gandoh Police Station in Doda District. Presently, they were co-ordinating activities among left out militants of LeT and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) outfit and were trying to strengthen their cadre with local recruitment.

May 19: Three HM militants, including self-styled ‘divisional commander’ and ‘district commander’ were killed in an encounter with SFs in the Lassi Daban village of Rajpora in Pulwama District. The slain militants were identified as Latief Tedwa, self styled ‘divisional commander’ for South Kashmir and ‘district commander’ of Pulwama Mohammad Rafiq Bhat. Both the slain militants were locals and residents of nearby Keller area in Shopian District. The identity of the third militant was being ascertained and preliminary reports said he was also a resident of Keller area and was known as Farooq Ahmad Khanday. Two AK rifles, one pistol and some other arms and ammunition were recovered from the possession of the slain militants.

May 19: Police arrested a disengaged Constable of the Central Reserve Police Force, Khalik Hussain, from his house in the Mendhar tehsil (revenue unit) area of Poonch District for his links with the militants. His son, Zubair Ahmed, was absconding and was reportedly working for HM. Two kilograms of RDX, 11 detonators, 10 safety pins, five meters cortex wire, 10 PIKA detonators and some ammunition was recovered from an under-ground hideout in cattle shed in the house. The hideout could accommodate two to three militants at a time.

May 16: The Security Forces (SFs) recovered a consignment of arms, ammunition and explosives from a hideout of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen outfit at village Bela Chitah Pard in the Mahore area of Reasi District. Recoveries include one country made gun, one wireless set, one antenna, a shell thrower, two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), one binocular, a tape recorder, 29 rounds of AK-47 and some incriminating documents of HM.

May 15: A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant was arrested in Poonch District. Mohmmad Azam, son of Pakistani based HM ‘commander’, Mohmmad Akbar, who had crossed over to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) for arms training in 1992, and a class 12th student, was arrested from Sabzian area near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch. On a tip off from Azam, a cache of arms were recovered near the LoC in Poonch. The recoveries included two pistols, 40 pistols rounds, one 81mm mortar, one wireless set, one Decta phone, 20 AK rifles, INR 39,840 hawala money, among other things.

May 15: The Army and Police recovered explosive devices and ammunition besides a large quantity of medicines and ration during a search operation along Ans nullah in the Mahore area, bordering Budhal, of Reasi District. The recoveries included three hand grenades, five UBGL grenades, 15 electronic detonators, three AK magazines with 170 rounds, four meters cortex wire and a large quantity of food items and medicines. The consignment reportedly belonged to the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) outfit.

May 12: The arrested HM militant-cum-trainer Mohammad Ashraf, has said thousands of misguided Kashmiri youth are still receiving training in camps in PoK. He disclosed that the youths, who were getting training in different militant training camps in PoK wanted to return homes and lead a peaceful life. He further said that neither he nor other militants had any knowledge of the State Government’s proposed rehabilitation policy for them. He confessed to have received training at a militant training camp in Kacharban, PoK. He disclosed that over 2000 militants from this part of the State (Jammu and Kashmir) were active in training camps in PoK though some of them felt disenchanted with the militancy. He revealed that all training camps of HM and LeT were fully active and were imparting arms training to the militants freely with active co-operation of Pakistan’s Army and ISI. He disclosed that LeT and HM were the only two dominant outfits to whom majority of militants were affiliated at present in PoK while JeM, once a force to reckon with in Pakistan, has virtually been rendered irrelevant with very few cadre. Only a couple of Jaish training camps were now active in PoK, Ashraf told his interrogators.                                                        

May 11: An Army trooper was killed in an encounter with militants in the Hafruda forests of Handwara in the Kupwara District in the night. The operation was still in progress as presence of militants has been established. Meanwhile, the three militants killed in the gun battle at Senzipora have been identified as Abdul Karim Kataria, Nayeem Ahmad Bhat and Najeeb Rashid Dar. The slain militants were the local cadres of the HM.

May 10: The ongoing anti-militancy operation in North Kashmir has been further expanded towards Kralgund and Vilgam forest areas in the Kupwara District as the SFs have credible information about presence of 11 militants. Top LeT commander Abdul Rehman, who heads the subversive activities in North Kashmir, was believed to be among the group of militants hiding in the forests. "A coordination meeting of LeT, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen [HuM] was scheduled to take place at a secret location but Rehman and his group had to retreat to the forests of Handwara.

May 8: Two militants were killed in gun battle with the SFs in the Laar forest of Reasi District. A constable was also injured in the gun battle that lasted a little over four hours in the dense forest of Mahore village. The gun battle started when the SFs, acting on a tip-off, cordoned off the forest belt and asked the militants to surrender who started firing at them. An unnamed Police officer told IANS that the identity of the militants have not been established as yet. The slain militants were identified as Bashir Ahmed alias Abu Rehman and Arif Ahmed, of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) outfit. One of the slain militants was a self-styled ‘district commander’.

May 7: A youth was shot dead by the HM militants in the Ganderbal District, a year after his militant brother, Dilawar Goghi, surrendered before the Police. Mohammad Latief Goghi (27) was shot dead by four militants inside his house at Akhal village near Srinagar. The youth was apparently killed to avenge the surrender of his brother.

May 7: Although the security officials claimed that all the slain militants of the gunfight in Sheikhpora forested area of Rafiabad in the Baramulla District belonged to the LeT, a spokesman of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) told a local news gathering agency over phone that four of the killed militants were its cadres and claimed that three SFs personnel were killed in the encounter.

May 6: Police in the night of May 6 detained a HM militant, hailing from Kishtwar town, in the Gujjar Nagar area of Jammu following specific inputs that he had come here for financial transactions. The militant was the mastermind in breaking open J&K Bank branch at Kishtwar along with other accused and looted INR 1.06 crore in the intervening night of July 7-8, 2009. Out of a total of INR 45 lakh recovered from the arrested persons, INR 26 lakh were seized from him. The detained militant, yet to be arrested is identified by Zahoor-ul-Hassan. Reports indicate that that he had come to Jammu for some sort of financial transaction on behalf of HM.

May 6: Ramban Police recovered a large quantity of ammunition and explosives from a natural cave hideout being used by the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) at Bakrola Banj in Bhimdassa area of Gool. Recoveries include two kilograms of explosives, one Rocket Projectile Gun (RPG) with seven launchers, one RPG shell, two LMG magazines, two AK magazines, four grenades, 74 AK rounds, 77 LMG rounds, one radio set with two antennas, one solar electric charge (US made), one Thoraya radio set charges, four blankets, one binocular, four mobile phone chargers, one magazine pouch, ration items, medicines and utensils.

May 4: Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested three Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) from village Pithgaon in the Navapachi area of Marwah in the Kishtwar District. The arrestees were identified as Ghulam Nabi Bhat, Nazir Ahmed and Farooq Ahmed Sheikh. Police said the OGWs were working for HM’s ‘district commander’ Sajjar Hussain alias Rezwan. 

May 2: Security agencies believed that Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant Basharat Saleem has been killed by a top ranking commander of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM). "Basharat is most likely dead. There are credible inputs that he was killed by HuM militants led by the outfit's commander Noman four to five days back," the officer said added. Basharat was on most wanted list of the security agencies in North Kashmir as he had evaded their dragnet three times since the beginning of 2010. "Basharat was one of the few local militants who rose quickly through the ranks to be among the most powerful ultras in North Kashmir within a short span of time," he added further. The officer said efforts were on to trace the body of the militant.

April 29: Security Forces destroyed a hide-out of the HM militants in the Nangali forests of Poonch District and recovered a consignment of arms and explosives including two AK-47 rifles, two AK magazines, two Chinese pistols, one pistol magazine, 242 Pika rounds and one ground sheet.

April 28: Three Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) were arrested by the Police in Mahore area of Reasi District.

April 27: Pakistan-based militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) is making concerted efforts to carry out attacks in India and to develop links in Maldives and other neighbours, the Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken told Lok Sabha. He further stated that, of the prominent groups which pose a serious threat include LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Harkat-ul-Jehad-al-Islami (HuJI), Harkat-ul Mujahideen (HuM), Al Badr, Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF), Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and Communist Party of India -Maoist (CPI-Maoist).

April 23: Two militants of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants were killed in a gunfight with the Security Forces (SFs) in the in Doda District on April 23. The SFs carried out the operation around the mountainous forest in Gandoh, about 180 kilometres north-east of Jammu, in the night of April 23 following information about presence of a group of militants there. "One militant was killed last [April 23] night while the other early Saturday [April 24] morning," Doda Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Prabhat Singh said. "Tanvir Ahmad, one of the killed militants, was the ‘area commander’ of Hizbul while the other Zubair Ahmad was his close associate. The Security Forces recovered both the bodies on April 24 morning," the SSP added. The duo was close associates of Shah Din alias Shabir Shah, a ‘divisional commander’ of HM for Doda District.

Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested an Over Ground Worker (OGW) of the HM, identified as Abdul Gaffar, along with arms and ammunition from Banihal in the Ramban District. Recoveries made from his possession include one Chinese pistol with one magazine and seven rounds. The OGW was providing logistic supports, eatables and shelter to the militants of HM.

April 21: Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested two sympathisers of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) Mohmmad Amin and Tariq Ahmed in Kishtwar District for calling militant commander Farooq Chadi in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

April 20: Three Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) were arrested by Police in the Mahore area of Reasi District. The arrestees were identified as Mohammad Iqbal, Mohammad Aslam and Farid Ahmed, all residents of Neoch. The OGWs had been working for the HM for past quite some time and were providing logistic support carrying eatable items for the militants and providing shelter to them at different places in Mahore.

April 20: Militants in Jammu and Kashmir are recruiting more and more women, a secret Police document has shown. The high casualty among Security Forces is attributed to a new strategy developed by the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) chief Uni, who has been able to bring together several outfits. In 2010, Sopore has seen more than eight militant attacks on Policemen and security installations. Most of them have been carried out by a module comprising LeT, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) and HM, all headed by Uni. Uni was earlier operating from Lolaab and Bandipora areas, but has now started operating from Sopore.

April 16: Two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants were killed in an encounter with Security Forces in the Keller area of Shopian District. One of the slain militants has been identified as Fayaz Ahmad, a local resident of Shopian District. The other militant is suspected to be a Pakistani national Osama, one of the most wanted militants in South Kashmir, the sources said. Two AK rifles and some arms and ammunition were recovered from the possession of the two slain militants. The slain militants were identified as Fayaz Peer, ‘divisional commander' of the HM, and a Pakistani national identified as Usma.

April 9: Security Forces (SFs) arrested three local trained militants of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) in Kashmir valley. The SFs arrested the three HM militants, identified as Bilal Ahmad Wani, Imran Ahmad Wani and Mohammad Ashraf Gojri, from the Batapora-Magam area of Handwara in the Kupwara District along with huge cache of arms and ammunition. While an AK rifle, two magazines, 60 rounds of ammunition and two Unbarrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) grenades were recovered from the possession of Bilal, six UBGL grenades were recovered at the instance of Imran and Ashraf. 

April 4: Police arrested the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant who was injured in a failed attempt on the life of a Congress party leader in the Pulwama District. Arshad Ahmad, who was injured in the shootout with the Personal Security Officers (PSO) of Congress District President Abdul Gani Dar, was found by Police in critical condition in a lane some distance away from the Dar''s house in the Rohama area of Rajpora in Pulwama.

March 28: About 400 militants were waiting to cross over to Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC) and nearly 300 militants were active in the Kashmir Valley, Brigadier General Staff at 15 Corps headquarters Gurmeet Singh said. "According to the Intelligence available with us, there are 42 training camps across the LoC and 34 of these are active. There are 20 launch pads opposite our Corp zone where around 400 militants are waiting to infiltrate,". Asked about the identity of slain militants, he said it was still being ascertained. "The militants are now coming in mixed batches - Hizb-ul-Mujahideen [HM], Lashkar-e-Toiba [LeT] and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen [HuM]," he added. He said the militants were using Global Positioning System (GPS) and satellite phones as they do not trust the local guides anymore.

March 23: The militants vowed to wage jihad (holy war) to liberate Kashmir from Indian control. About 5,000 persons attended a rally in Kotli in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), shouting, "We are ready for jihad, we are ready for jihad!" The gathering marked the anniversary of the 1940 Pakistan Resolution, in which Indian Muslims decided to struggle for a separate country following independence from British rule. Pakistan was born seven years later on 14th August 1947. "Diplomacy, talks and negotiations spanning several decades have not worked," said Syed Salahuddin, chairman of the United Jihad Council (UJC), which consists of 16 religious groups, militant outfits and political parties. "The only way to liberate Kashmir is jihad," said Salahuddin, who is also 'commander-in-chief' of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). He denied that jihadi groups were behind attacks within the country. The rally was also attended by leaders of Jama'at-ud-Da'awa (JuD). A resolution adopted after the meeting said, "Jihad will continue until India ends its occupation of Kashmir."

March 21: A close associate of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) Peer Panchal Range (HMPPR) chief was arrested by the Security Forces (SFs) in the Mahore area of Reasi District. Acting on a tip off, the SFs launched a search operation in the Narkote-Hansoo Wali Gali area of Mahore belt in the night of March 21 and raided a hideout of Panchal HMPPR chief Abdullah Inqalabi and arrested his associate Wazir Hussain, Police said. Two grenades and some literature of the outfit were recovered from Hussain. Hussain was working with Inqalabi, a Pakistan terrorist commander, for past eight years, Police added.

March 20: A ‘district commander’ of the HM, identified as Parvaiz Ahmad Dar alias Musharaf, was killed and an Army trooper wounded in a fierce gun battle between militants and SFs in village Malangpora-Awantipora of Pulwama District.

March 20: Pointing to Inter Services Intelligence and Pakistan Army officials aiding terrorist camps and the functioning of top militant leaders including Lashkar-e-Toiba chief Hafiz Saeed and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen's (HM) Syed Salahuddin from Pakistani soil, Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor said the terrorists "are probably more emboldened". "The comparison of pre and post 26/11 period reveals that there is no decline or change in the quantum of Pak support to terrorists' operations in J&K. To the contrary, the terrorists are probably more emboldened by the sustained support enjoyed by them despite international pressure on Pak, post 26/11," he said. "In recent times, Syed Salahuddin accompanied by Pak Army and ISI officials' visits launch pads all along the LoC. At the behest of Pak, he is also exhorting his cadres to step up violence in J&K," Kapoor added. Further he said that, approximately 250-300 terrorists are poised for infiltration across the LoC.

March 19: The Jammu and Kashmir Police confirmed that the March 16 attack on Security Force personnel at Lal Chowk in Srinagar was carried out at the direction of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) chief Syed Salahuddin, reports India Today. Srinagar Deputy Inspector General of Police S.K. Lohia said, "The attack at Lal Chowk was carried out by Syed Salahuddin's men. We have information that the attack was carried out by Hizbul Mujahideen and LeT [Lashkar-e-Toiba] since they have joined hands now."

March 18: The Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in Ahmadabad could well be the next terror target, said ATS officials. It almost came in the crosshairs of militant outfit HM, based in PoK. Officials of ATS have found this explosive information in the cell phone conversation and email intercepts of Bashir Ahmad Baba, 32, a resident of Kashmir and an HM who was arrested by ATS on March 13 from Anand. "Before Bashir was arrested by ATS, his mobile phone was already under surveillance owing to the huge number of calls he made to Kashmir and PoK," said ATS officials.

March 14: Ittehad Al Salasa Al Jehadi, a hitherto unknown militant amalgam of three lesser known groups, claimed responsibility the grenade explosion on March 14 that killed a Para-military trooper and left five injured. A spokesman of the amalgam, comprising Al Nasireen, Farzandaan-e-Millat and Shuhada Brigade, said they carried out the attack at Koker Bazaar (March 16) and Zaina Kadal (March 14). "People should stay away from places where troops are deployed either individually on in large number. Any civilian getting injured in such attacks will be responsible for his or her own safety," the spokesman told media persons over phone. However, it has been  reported that the grenade attack was claimed by Save Kashmir Movement militant outfit, which is believed to be a joint brigade of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM).

March 14: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has claimed to have arrested a suspected HM militant, identified as Bashir Ahmed Baba alias “Aijaz” from the national highway near Anand.  Gujarat ATS Chief Ajay Tomar said in Ahmadabad that Bashir came from Srinagar on February 20 apparently to spot “terror talents” who would be willing to go for training in Pakistan and establish the terror network in Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat. Tomar also said that the 32-year-old Bashir was closely working with the HM’s top militants based in PoK, including Bilal Shera, as well as with General Abdulla of the PoK-based JUM. Bashir maintained his links with Bilal and his other Pakistan “handlers” through mobile phones and e-mails even after he came to Gujarat. “Police have recovered three mobile phones, four SIM cards, e-mail addresses and objectionable documents from him,” Tomar added.

March 8: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on March 8 claimed that militant outfits Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) have been rooted out of the Jammu region. The focus, they said, has now shifted to the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), who remain active. This year, 17 militants have been killed in Jammu, of whom 10 were HM commanders, the IGP claimed. Calling the neutralising of militants a major success, the IGP said it was due to "surgical strikes" in south of Pir Panjal in the State, adds Indian Express. Gupta said under "surgical strikes", the Police used two types of planning — "Track and Target" and "Scout, Seek and Kill"— in neutralising the top leadership of the HuJI, JeM and HM outfits in Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch, Reasi and Rajouri Districts of the region. Two top ‘commanders’ of HM surrendered before the Director General of Police (DGP) Kuldeep Khoda in Doda, Gupta said. "We are focusing on Lashkar," Gupta said, adding there were nearly 100 militants still operating in Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban. Regarding the Police’s summer strategy, the IGP said, "Our concern is that infiltration will increase after snow melts. However, we will ensure the number of militants does not swell and they don’t get supply of arms and funds."

March 7: A HM ‘district commander’, identified as Riaz Ahmed alias Shaheen Parvez, was shot dead by a combined force of the Police and Army in a joint operation at Bhagwa in the Doda District in the evening. One AK-47 rifle, two magazines and two grenades were recovered from the incident site.

March 5: Police in Doda and Kishtwar Districts have identified 15 young women, who have been actively working for LeT and HM outfits and were even trying to motivate other ladies to join ranks of the militants. Inputs developed by Police of Doda and Kishtwar through their Intelligence network during past few days of winter have confirmed earlier intercepts of some women’s support to the militants of two major outfits in the two Districts.

March 3: One Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant was killed and two Security Force (SF) personnel injured in two encounters in Pulwama District on March 3. The SFs launched a search and cordon operation at Mir Mohalla at Dadsara in the Awantipora area in the morning after receiving information about presence of two to four militants of the HM in the area, official sources said. Militants opened indiscriminate firing on the SFs as they were closing in on the house of one Ghulam Mohammad Mir, where the militants were hiding. The SFs retaliated, triggering off a gun battle in which one militant was killed and two SF personnel injured. Intermittent exchange of firing was continuing till reports last came in.

Meanwhile, two top HM militants surrendered before the Director General of Police (DGP) Kuldeep Khoda in Doda District along with a large quantity of arms and ammunition. The militants were identified as Abdul Latif alias Hamza and Sher Mohammad alias Saifullah, both residents of Darosh in the Dessa area of Doda District. Hamza was a HM ‘district commander’ operating in Doda and Kishtwar Districts for more than a decade while Saifullah was an active militant of the outfit for past about two years. At the time of surrender, the militants handed over a large quantity of arms and ammunition including one Universal Machine Gun, one AK-47 rifle, one Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), seven RPG rounds, one pistol silencer, one .303 gun, six AK magazines, two Motorola wireless sets, 10 kg RDX, one Chinese grenade, one UBGL shell, seven RPGs, 50 detonators, one M-16 shell, one walkie-talkie set and a pouch. However, PTI reported that Abdul Latif Bali alias Abdu Hamza, was a self-styled ‘deputy divisional commander’ of the outfit, and Sher Mohammad alias Saifullah was his deputy.

February 24: A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant, identified as Bashir Ahmad Lone alias Mudasir, was arrested from the Chandpora area in Budgam District, a Police spokesman said. Three grenades, 20 rounds of AK 47 ammunition and two detonators were recovered from his possession.

February 23: Five top militants and three Security Force (SF) personnel, including an Army officer, were killed and three soldiers injured in a fierce 18-hour gun battle between the SFs and militants in the Sopore town of Baramulla District on February 23. The slain militants included Bhasharat of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) The slain militants included Bhasharat of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM).

February 20: SFs shot dead a HM ‘divisional commander’, who happened to be a Pakistani national hailing from Karachi, in Hanzal forests on Gulmohar border in Ramban District. Te slain militant was identified as Mohammad Iqbal Alam alias Abu Bakar, a resident of Federal D Area of Dastgri town in Karachi (Pakistan). He was operating in Ramban and Reasi Districts for last more than eight years. One AK-47 rifle, four magazines, 90 rounds, one hand grenade, one radio set, two mobile telephones with SIM cards, one binocular and Indian currency worth INR 23,786 were recovered from the encounter site. Abu Bakar had been appointed ‘divisional commander’ of HM in 2007 succeeding Mushtaq Ahmed alias Maqsood Bhat of Moila, Gool under whose tenure 12 local militants of the outfit had surrendered before SFs.

February 16: A cadre of the HM outfit, identified as Abdul Rashid Beigh alias Javaid Mustafa, was arrested from Guloora Handwara in Kupwara District. One pistol, one magazine and eight rounds were recovered from Beigh's possession.

February 15: A self-styled 'district commander' of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) Ashraf Moulvi and his close associate Rouf Ahmad Bhat were killed in a gun battle with a joint search party of Police and Army at Qaimoh in Kulgam District, 70 kilometres from Srinagar in South Kashmir, in the morning of February 15. The duo was affiliated with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) but had recently switched over to the LeT which was revealed by the documents recovered from them.

February 14: Three militants, including Abdullah Inqullabi, a Pakistani ‘commander’ of the HM, were trapped by SFs in Baghla forests of Dharamsal area in Kalakote tehsil of Rajouri District. One militant was either reported dead or seriously injured in the gun battle. 

February 11: The Security Forces (SFs) shot dead two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants, including a ‘divisional commander’ of the outfit, during a daylong fierce encounter at Kalar village in Kandi area of Rajouri District on February 11, reports daily excelsior. The SFs recovered one AK-47 rifle, one carbine, a number of magazines, ammunition rounds, mobile phone with subscriber identity module cards, explosive devices and other belongings from the encounter site.

Syed Salahuddin, ‘chief’ of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), said that talks between Pakistan and India will fail if they do not focus on the "core issue" of Kashmir. Talks would be "a futile exercise" if they did not address the dispute over the Himalayan region. India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over the disputed territory since their independence in 1947. "I talk on behalf of the jihadi leadership that we all stand for a negotiated settlement," Salahuddin, who is also head of the United Jihad Council, told Reuters in an interview. "But negotiations must be Kashmir-centric ... unless this core issue is addressed and it is focused upon, there will be no result," he added. He said the people of Kashmir must also be involved in talks adding that "It's not a bilateral boundary dispute between India and Pakistan. It is a question of the right of self-determination of 30 million people".

February 7: Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram ON February 7 described the Pakistan-based terrorist outfits as “dark forces,” which were “implacably” opposed to India. They would be defeated whenever confronted, he said. He said such militant groups as the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) staged a meeting at Muzaffarabad in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on February 4. “Their weapons are mayhem and violence, and their goal is forcible annexation of Kashmir. Let me make it clear that these dark forces will not succeed in their designs,” Chidambaram said. 

February 4: An anti-India jihadi rally to express Yakjehti-e-Kashmir (Solidarity with Kashmir) was organized on February 4 in Muzaffarabad of PoK by the JuD, a banned frontal organization of the LeT. The meeting began on February 4 and is likely to go on for a couple of days. The meeting is expected to be attended by top jihadi leaders including HM ‘commander’ Syed Salahuddin and JuD leader Abdul Rehman Makki. The LeT ‘chief’ Hafiz Saeed, blamed by India as one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks, is expected to address a similar rally in Islamabad on February 5 (today), an official said. Former chief of Pakistan's ISI Hamid Gul, an invitee to the conference, said the Pakistan Government was aware about the jihadi rally. "… If India is feeling unhappy, let them (be)," Gul said adding that the meeting was "an important human cause" and India should "face the reality in Kashmir".

January 22: Army and the Police shot dead a top HM militant, identified as Tariq Lone alias Azhar, in an encounter at Marwah in Kishtwar District in the evening. A pistol and ammunition were recovered from him.

January 18: Troops of 11 Rashtriya Rifles and Police recovered a consignment of arms and ammunition from Metwan forests in Navapachchi area of same District. The recoveries included one AK-56 rifle, one Self Loading Rifle, one Insas rifle, one Chinese grenade, four binoculars, an I Com radio set, one AK magazine, three SLR magazines, 53 AK rounds, one magazine, combat dress and some other material. The hide-out from where the recoveries were made belonged to Tariq Ahmed Lone alias Azhar, a tehsil (revenue unit) 'commander' of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM).

January 14: Two self-styled 'commanders' of the HM outfit, who were believed to be involved in killings and extortion cases in Reasi, Rajouri and South Kashmir, and an Army trooper were killed during a 15 hour long encounter that ended on January 14 in Kulgam District of Kashmir valley. The militants were identified as Adil Pathan and Khalid Hussain alias Tahir Inquilabi, both residents of Rajouri. During the gun battle, two Army troopers and a Special Police Officer sustained injuries. Surinder Singh of 62 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) succumbed to injuries. SP of Kulgam District said two AK 56 rifles, one IED, one laptop, one magazine and several rounds were recovered during the operation.

January 12: SFs shot dead one of the two terrorists holed up in a house in Pulwama District. Police, assisted by the Army, cordoned off village Abhama-Keller on January 11 to flush out the two HM terrorists hiding in a house. The hiding terrorists opened fire on SFs, who retaliated killing one of the terrorists.

January 10: Two top militants of the HM, including a ‘deputy divisional commander’, were killed by the SFs after an encounter at Thanola in the Arnas area of Reasi District in the afternoon. The slain militants were identified as Irfan Mushtaq alias Command (call sign 17), a ‘deputy divisional commander’ of HM and a resident of Lar in Gulabgarh and Ibrar alias Abu Ubaida (call sign 04), a resident of Thanola. An Army Subedar and a SPO were injured in the operation while two civilians, who had been taken hostage by the militants, were safely rescued. Official sources said the SFs launched a joint search operation at Thanola following information that two HM militants had taken shelter in village Kangri, about 10 kilometres from Arnas, at 1 pm (IST). On observing movement of the SFs, the militants took shelter in a village Mosque. When Army and Police personnel asked the militants to come out and surrender, the militants lobbed two grenades towards the SFs. The SFs didn't retaliate to maintain sanctity of the holy religious place. Finding themselves trapped, the militants took two civilians from the mosque as hostage and fled towards upper reaches of Kangri. The SFs chased and engaged them in an encounter. After the hostages were rescued, both militants were shot dead by the SFs in the gun-battle, Inspector General of Police Jammu Ashok Gupta said. Recoveries made from the possession of slain militants included one new type of foldable rifle of AK series with 60 rounds, one AK-47 rifle with 41 rounds, one mobile telephone, a UBGL and a Chinese grenade, one I Com radio set, one solar charger and INR 50,000 in cash.

January 10: Militants shot dead two former militants and injured another in two separate incidents the Kulgam District. Militants shot at and injured two former militants at Qoimoh market in Kulgam District. One of the injured succumbed to his later. The deceased was identified as Gulzar Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Bragloo Kulgam while the injured person was identified as Sameer Ahmad Bhat. Both Gulzar and Sameer were associated with the HM before they renounced the path of violence and joined the mainstream to lead normal lives, the sources said, adding they were targeted for allegedly being informers of the SFs.

January 9: The Police raided a house in Basantgarh belt of Udhampur District in the night and arrested a HM militant, Abdul Noorani alias Haider.

January 8: Two LeT militants were shot dead by the SFs during an encounter at Khrew area in Pulwama District. They were identified as Altaf Ahmad Mir alias Mohsin and Zahoor Ahmad Mir alias Haroon. Some arms and ammunition, including AK rifles, were recovered from the encounter site. A Police spokesman said that both the militants were part of the break away group of the HM outfit which had joined the LeT in 2009 and had been instrumental in strengthening of the LeT. They had developed a strong base in Srinagar and South Kashmir, the spokesman said. He said the duo was wanted by the Police for their involvement in a number of terrorist acts, including the car bomb blast outside the Central Jail Srinagar and killing of two Policemen at Pampore in 2009. "By killing the duo, the police has solved the Kathidarwaza IED blast case and the Pampore shoot out case," he added.

2009

December 30: Militants shot dead four CRPF personnel in Sopore area of Baramulla District. Official sources said that militants opened indiscriminate firing on a group of CRPF personnel who were part of a road opening party on Sopore-Bandipora road at Janwari, resulting in critical injuries to all the four CRPF personnel present at the spot. All of them succumbed to injuries. HM claimed responsibility for the attack.

December 24: Police arrested two militants of the LeT and HM outfits from Dhara village in Thanna Mandi area of Rajouri District. One of the arrested militant was working as a coordinator between the LeT and HM outfits and was in constant touch with several top ‘commanders’ of the two groups, official sources said. They were identified as Abdul Salam (17), son of Abdul Rashid, a resident of Dhara, Thanna Mandi and Mohammad Rafiq alias Papa Lohar (45), son of Faiz Baksh, a resident of Khanyal Kot. While Salam was affiliated to the HM, Papa Lohar was working for the LeT. Police recovered a high range wireless set, two wireless set antennas, 17 pairs of Dura cell chargers, a number of incriminating documents including letter heads of LeT and HM outfit and a medical kit from the possession of Abdul Salam. Some more recoveries were expected from the two arrested militants during their further interrogation.

December 22: The Police arrested three militants of the HM outfit during an operation in Srinagar. "Srinagar Police has arrested three militants of Hizbul Mujahideen from Srinagar and recovered one AK 47 rifle and two grenades from their possession," a Police spokesman said. He said the three militants were identified as Rafiq Magray alias Aadil, Mohammad Ramzan alias Ibrahim and Iqbal Haroon alias Muzaffar. Sources said the militants were arrested from Nowgam after Police had been on their trail for the past nearly two months.

December 18: A 25-year-old youth, Nazir Ahmad Chopan, was shot dead by militants while a ruling National Conference worker was brutally killed by slitting open his throat after he was abducted in the night from Pulwama District in south Kashmir. Two unidentified militants entered the house of Nazir Ahmad Chopan at Kadipora in Pulwama District and asked him to accompany them. As soon as Chopan came out of his residence premises, the militants opened indiscriminate firing on him, resulting in his on the spot death, official sources said. Chopan was a shepherd by profession and was targeted by the militants on the suspicion of being an informer of the Security Forces, the sources said.

December 18: Police arrested three HM militants from Shopian District, who were reportedly involved in the attack on a National Conference office bearer on August 25. Three arrested militants were identified as Rafiq Ahmad Sheikh, Mukhtar Ahmad Tantray and Jehangir Ahmad Malik. Police sources said the militants had carried out the attack on Abdul Rehman Watchku, the NC Shopian town president. One AK-47 rifle used in the offence and one pistol with ammunitions were recovered from their possession.

December 16: Terrorists killed a 20-year-old girl in cold blood in Shopian District. The attack was unusual in the sense that it wasn’t a typical terror strike; the militants barged into the house of one Mohammed Maqbool Mir and, after asking the family members to identify themselves, turned their automatic weapons on his daughter, Sheeraza Akhtar. She was shot in the abdomen and below her chin and died in her father’s arms. The Police said a group of four Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terrorists were responsible for the murder.

December 15: A militant belonging to the HM was arrested by the by Police and Rashtriya Rifles during search operation at Fruit Mandi Parimpora in Srinagar. The Pakistan-trained militant was identified as Feroz Ahmad Rather, son of Abdul Jabar, resident of Khambayar in Pattan area of Baramulla District. Rather had exfiltrated to PoK in 2000 and after undergoing arms training, the HM militant had returned recently. One pistol, one magazine and two Chinese grenades were recovered from his possession.

December 14: Two top HM militants, including a ‘district commander’, were killed by SFs at Amrai forests in Chilli area of Gandoh in Doda District. Official sources said SFs, who had been hunting four militants in upper reaches of Chilli area since the afternoon of December 13 finally trapped the militants in early hours. A heavy exchange of gun fighting between the two sides continued for more than two and a half hours in which two top militants of HM were eliminated while two others managed to escape. IGP, Jammu Zone, Ashok Gupta said that one of the slain militant, Tariq Hussain Khandey alias Idrees alias Mama son of Bashir Ahmed, a resident of Chilli, Gandoh was a ‘district commander’ of HM. Mama was second longest surviving militant in Doda district. He was active in the militancy since 1998, Mr Gupta said, adding he was involved in a number of militant activities including killings of civilians, attacks on SFs and abductions. Other slain militant was identified as Yasir Ahmed Kantroo alias Mubassir alias Owais. He was active since 2003 and was also wanted in a number of subversive activities. Two AK-56 rifles and four magazines were recovered from the possession of the slain militants. SSP of Doda District, Parbhat Singh, who supervised the operation, said that SFs didn’t suffer any casualties in the operation.

December 6: Arrested Jammu and Kashmir based Islamist militant Abu Yusuf Butt, who is a leader of Jamaat-e-Islami and HM outfit, confessed before a Dhaka court that he was linked to the August 21, 2004 grenade attack on an Awami League rally on Bangabandhu Avenue in the city. Disclosing that he was present at the site of the attack that killed 24 people and injured 300 others, the HM leader also admitted to his close involvement in the planning and preparation of it, court sources said. Yusuf gave the confessional statement before Metropolitan Magistrate AKM Emdadul Huq after being in remand for 14 days in four phases in the custody of the CID. Yusuf also said that he also worked with militant outfits HuJI and Pakistan-based LeT.

December 2: Troops of Rashtriya Rifles (44th Battalion) arrested a militant of the HM from the Keller area of Shopian District. One pistol, two magazines and 12 rounds were recovered from the possession of the militant, who has been identified as Jehangir Ahmad Malik.

November 28: A group of three to four militants of HM is reported to have been trapped in an encounter with the Security Forces (SF) at Lidrari village in the Dachchan area of Kishtwar District since the morning. Official sources said the operation was launched on the basis of specific information that a group of three to four HM militants led by their ‘commander’ Firdous had been camping in a dhok at Lidrari in Dachchan.

November 26: Two local HM militants were shot dead by Police in an encounter at Krandi Dhar in Dessa area of Doda District while another militant managed to escape in the early morning. Two weapons including one SLR and a .303 gun, snatched from Police, were recovered from the possession of slain militants. The slain militants were identified as Mohammad Rafi alias Usmaan son of Ghulam Mustafa, a resident of Beli, Arnora and Qasim Din alias Babbar son of Gulabu Gujjar resident of Laloor, Doda. Rafi’s brother, Mohammad Hanief, is in Pakistan since 2000 while his another brother, Zafarullah, was killed few week back after he had joined HM. Zafarullah had deserted Territorial Army to join militancy. The duo were generally operating in Dessa but were called to other areas only on requirement by the militant commanders. They belonged to Shaheen Group of the HM and were involved in a series of subversive activities.

November 16: A ‘battalion commander’ of the HM, identified as Abdul Rehman Gorsi alias Aqibul Islam, was shot dead during an encounter with the SFs at Sangarwani village in the Pulwama District of south Kashmir. Police officials said an AK rifle and its ammunition were recovered from the possession of the slain militant.

November 12: Police and CRPF personnel arrested five cadres of two militant outfits, including the brother of HM surrendered militant Bashir Lohar and a private ration dealer, during raids carried out at Manwas, Kud Dhar and Doda town in the Doda District. The ration dealer was arrested from outside the District Police Headquarters, Doda when he was carrying out recee of the vital installation. The arrested militants belonged to the LeT and HM outfits, SSP, Doda, Parbhat Singh, said. The SSP said Bashir Ahmed, a resident of Kutch Dhar in Doda, was arrested from outside the District Police Headquarters, housing among others the SSP office, when he was carrying out recee of the Headquarters for the HM. Bashir is working as a private ration dealer in Kutch Dhar.

November 6: Unable to send the newly recruited youths across the Line of Control (LoC) for arms training, the militant outfits, especially LeT and HM, were reported to have activated their training camps in the upper reaches and forest areas of Doda, Reasi and Rajouri belts. This information was secured from some of the recently arrested militants and over-ground workers in the Doda belt comprising the Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban Districts, Udhampur and Reasi Districts and twin border Districts of Poonch and Rajouri. According to Intelligence inputs, militant outfits, including the LeT and HM, have managed to attract nearly 50 youths from Jammu region into their ranks during the past few months. The fresh recruits have been kept in the huts abandoned by shepherds with the onset of winter in the upper reaches.

November 6: Police neutralised a terrorist module in the Doda District by arresting six militants of the HM outfit, who were active in Doda and Bhaderwah for past several years and were involved in major subversive activities. Official sources said about a dozen special teams of Doda Police camped in the upper reaches of Doda and Bhaderwah for more than a month following reports that the HM has revived itself in some areas with a plan to carry out fresh attacks. All six militants, who were part of the module, were arrested by Police from different parts of Doda and Bhaderwah after several days of search operations in the remote and hilly areas of Doda and Bhaderwah. They have been identified as Mansoor Ahmed alias Munna Ganai, a resident of Tharra Mohalla in Bhaderwah, Irshad Ahmed, a resident of Nalthi in Bhaderwah, Mohammad Hanief Malik, a resident of Khangna Koti in Doda, Billal Ahmed alias Baldev, a resident of Puneja in Bhaderwah, Mudassir Ahmed, a resident of Kai Mohalla in Bhaderwah and Zakir Hussain, a resident of Pul Doda. Billal Ahmed and Mudassir Ahmed were reportedly involved in killings of civilians besides grenade attacks and IED blasts while Zakir Hussain was wanted in a number of subversive activities. Three other militants were engaged in collection of funds besides giving information to the militants about troop movement. They had also been giving shelter to the militants in their houses.

November 1: Militants of the HM shot dead Head Constable Manzoor Ahmad and Constable Abdul Qadeer at Qamarwari Chowk in the capital Srinagar, a Police spokesman said. Both the cops were shot in the head, the spokesman said. The HM claimed responsibility for the attack saying it was part of its Operation Al-qisaas and such attacks on the SF personnel will continue. A senior Police official said the attack was carried out by modules of militants which had come into the city from Pulwama and Sopore areas. Ahead of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s recent two-day visit to the State, the Union Home Ministry had reportedly alerted the State of possible attacks by the HM to avenge the killing of ‘divisional commander’ of the outfit, Saquib, during an encounter in Pulwama District last week.

October 26: The SFs shot dead three top militants of the HM outfit, including a ‘divisional commander’, during an encounter in the Shopian District of south Kashmir. The Army, Police and Central Reserve Police Force launched a joint operation in the forests of Shalidar in the Keller area of Shopian following receipt of information about the presence of militants in the area. Officials sources said in the ensuing encounter, three HM militants were killed and a cache of arms, ammunition and war-like stores were recovered from the hideout. The slain militants have been identified as ‘divisional commander’ for Pir Panjal Range, Saquib, and his two close associates Riyaz Poswal and Ishfaq Ahmad alias Adnan. Two AK-56 rifles, one AK-74 rifle, 14 magazines of AK rifles, a satellite phone, one Pistol, three mobile sets, one radio set and 278 rounds of ammunition were recovered from the incident site. Saquib, believed to be a Pakistani national, was instrumental in coordinating subversive activities with other militant groups like the LeT and JeM, the officials said. He was also behind several attacks on the SFs and civilians in south Kashmir in the recent times.

October 26: Police arrested three over-ground workers of the HM outfit during a search operation in the Bagla forest area under the jurisdiction of Kandi Police Station in Rajouri District. The Senior Superintendent of Police, Shafkat Wattali, identified the three as Mohammad Tariq, Mohammad Anwar, both residents of Dhar Sekri, and Gulzar Ahmed, a resident of Deri.October 25: The Mahore Police and troops of Rashtriya Rifles (61st Battalion) arrested a top militant of the HM from Bradchilli Nullah in the Reasi District He has been identified as Tali Hussain alias Abu Kalimullah a resident of Saar Daga in Mahore. The arrested militant was reportedly in contact with two Pakistani militants - Abu Ibrahim and Abu Zabran - for whom a search operation has been launched by the Army and Police.

October 21: The Army and Police killed three top militants, including a ‘divisional commander’ of the HM outfit at Daggan Top on the Mahore-Gool border in Reasi District. Three hardcore HM militants, involved in a series of subversive activities in the Mahore-Gool-Gulabgarh belt of Reasi and Ramban Districts, were killed in an operation carried out by troops of the Rashtriya Rifles and Mahore Police, the Deputy Inspector General of Police (Udhampur-Reasi range), Gulzar Singh Slathia, said. The slain militants were identified as divisional commander’ Mushtaq Ahmed Bhat alias Maqsood, Mohammad Rafiq alias Murshad and Mohammad Arshad alias Tahir. Official sources said a noted woman militant, identified as Suraiya Begum, the wife of Maqsood, remained untraced. Sources said Suraiya was the daughter of Moosa Khan, a retired Zonal Education Officer, a resident of Lancha in Gool. Recoveries made from the possession of slain militants include two AK rifles with six magazines and 125 rounds, one Chinese pistol with 18 rounds, one wireless set, four hand grenades, 13 kg RDX, one detonator, one solar charge, two identity cards, four mobile telephones with as many SIM cards, five mobile batteries and two mobile chargers.

October 20: Police said that the suicide bomber who was killed in an encounter with the troops at Gussoo in Pulwama District last week has been identified as a Pakistani national hailing from the Balochistan province. The slain militant has been identified as Zaffar Iqbal, son of Mohammad Iqbal, a resident of village Bang Balouch in Balochistan. The Police spokesman said Zaffar had been deputed by the ''divisional commander Pir Panchal Range'' of the HM outfit for carrying out a fidayeen (suicide squad) attack in capital Srinagar but was killed in an operation during the intervening night of October 12 and 13. He said the slain militant had been provided with 25 kilograms of improvised explosive device, two hand grenades and an AK 47 rifle.

October 11: A 'section commander' of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), identified as Liaquat Ali alias Junaid, who was trapped inside a house by the SFs at Ziddan village in the Doda District in the night of October 10, was shot dead in the morning of October 11. Liaquat Ali, a resident of Laloor in Doda, had forcibly entered the house of Noor Din Bhat at Ziddan after being chased by the SFs in a forest area. According to sources, the militant had exhausted one of his AK-56 magazines in the night while firing on SFs. Junaid was an 'A' category militant of the HM and was active in militancy since October 20, 2006. He was involved in a number of subversive activities including killing, kidnappings and extortions in different parts of Doda district. One AK-56 rifle with three magazines, one pouch and some documents were recovered from his possession.

October 9: SFs shot dead a Pakistani militant of the HM outfit in the Pulwama District, hours before he was to carry out a suicide attack on a sensitive installation in the summer capital Srinagar. The Pakistani militant, identified as Abu Mu’awia, reportedly had plans to carry out a fidayeen (suicide squad) attack in Srinagar city and made all the preparations for executing his plans, officials said. One AK rifle, two AK magazines, 16 rounds of AK ammunition, 30 Kg explosive material, one 12V battery, two hand grenades, one Nokia mobile and one pouch were recovered from the slain militant.

October 7: Five militants, including two top ‘commanders’ of the LeT and HM outfits, were killed and two soldiers injured in Kashmir. A Defence Ministry spokesman said in capital Srinagar that Security Forces killed a ''district commander'' of the HM, Abdul Majeed Bhat, at Trikanjan Top near the LoC in Uri sector. One AK rifle and other arms and ammunition were recovered from the slain militant.

October 6: A HM ‘district commander’ was killed along with his associate in an encounter with the SFs at Dumlu Top in the Udhampur District. A third associate of the militants, however, managed to escape from the incident site. The Deputy Inspector General of Police (Udhampur-Reasi range), Gulzar Singh Slathia, said the civilians had earlier informed the SFs about the movement of three militants at Dumlu Top in Sudh Mahadev hills, bordering the Marmat area of Doda District. The militants, who had converted a natural cave into a hideout after fleeing from Marmat due to increasing pressure of the SFs and Doda Police, reportedly approached two to three houses for blankets and some eatables. The people obliged the militants but simultaneously informed the troops about their movement in Dumlu Top. The slain militant has been identified as Javed Iqbal alias Matin Ahmed alias Mohammad Usama, a resident of Marmat in Doda District. Matin was stated to be a Post Graduate in Science but had joined militancy on being persuaded by Javed Qureshi, a former ''divisional commander'' of the HM. He was involved in a series of subversive activities in Doda since April 2008, including the recent killing of two Special Police Officers - Abdul Gani and Riaz Ahmed - in Marmat on September 3, 2009. Recoveries made from the slain militant include one AK-47 rifle with one magazine and 10 rounds, one wireless set and a binocular.

September 29: SFs arrested two HM militants soon after they alighted from the Gorakhpur Express at Jammu Railway Station in the afternoon. The militants, hailing from Kashmir valley, had taken the aerial route to reach Kathmandu (Nepal) from Islamabad (Pakistan) and then entered Uttar Pradesh from Nepal to reach Jammu in a train. The Senior Superintendent of Police (Jammu), Basant Rath, said the militants had been deputed to Jammu from Pakistan by HM leadership to strengthen their outfit and network in the city. The arrestees were identified as Abdul Jabbar Khan and Shamim Ahmed Sheikh. Police recovered USD 2700, a Pakistani National Identity Card, four Pakistan International Airlines boarding cards from Islamabad to Kathmandu and four mobile telephones, including the one carrying a Pakistani SIM card.

September 24: Two top 'commanders' of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Manzoor Ahmad alias Saddam Hussain and Bashir Ahmad alias Rashid, both residents of Neoch Badr in the Reasi District, were shot dead by the SFs in an encounter at Damhal Hanjipora in the Kulgam District. The SFs launched a search operation in the area following receipt of information about the presence of militants in the area, officials said. As the SFs were closing in on the area where militants were hiding, they came under firing but there were no casualties in the initial salvo fired by the extremists. Defence spokesman Lieutenant Colonel J. S. Brar said two militants were killed in the ensuing gun battle.

Police arrested a 'financial adviser' of the HM in connection with INR 1.07 crore worth looting incident in Jammu and Kashmir Bank's main branch at Kishtwar town on the intervening night of July 7 and 8. A total amount of INR 40.11 lakh has been recovered so far with the arrest of the militant and his three associates, who have already been arrested. Police sources said during sustained questioning of three accused, arrested by Kishtwar Police in connection with the dacoity, a Police team arrested HM's 'financial adviser', identified as Zahoor Hussain Kamal, a resident of Kamal Mohalla in Kishtwar.

September 23: Four militants, including one 'District Commander' of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) each, an Army Major and a Marine commando were killed during two separate encounters in the Baramulla and Bandipora Districts, taking the death toll in the two-day encounter to eight.

In the encounter at Banyari village in Bandipora District which started in the evening of September 22 and ended at 5pm on September 23, the Army killed HM 'District Commander' Pasha and the LeT 'District Commander' Moosa. Army Major, G. S. Suri, and a trooper, Khushal, were killed when they sustained bullet injuries during the initial firing from militants as they entered a house where the militants were hiding. Pasha, a foreign militant, was active in the area for the last more than 10 years and was considered to be the driving force behind many attacks on the SFs and political workers. Moosa, who was working in close coordination with the HM militants recently, was also wanted by the SFs for the last couple of years.

September 17: Police arrested the wife of HM 'divisional commander' of Chenab Valley along with her body-guard from upper reaches of Sudh Mahadev in Udhampur District when the duo were heading towards Marmat to supply hawala money, mobile telephones and SIM cards to the commander and other associates of the outfit. Shamima Begum, the wife of Javed Qureshi, HM's 'divisional commander' for Chenab Valley, presently operating from Marmat in Kishtwar District, was arrested by Police along with her body guard Shamim Ahmed, both residents of Marmat. Shamima was herself working as a HM militant on the instructions of her husband. Despite being pregnant, she had been deputed by the militants to collect hawala money, mobile telephones and SIM cards from over ground network of militants in Chenani. They had also been tasked to spread outfit's network in Chenani, Sudh Mahadev and Latti areas, which had a trekking route to Marmat.

September 15: The Police arrested three HM militants working for Amin Bhat, involved in the killing of a civilian, Ghulam Ahmed Chowhan, in his house at Sigdi Bhata in the Kishtwar District. The arrested militants were identified as Abdul Gani Chopan, Munir Hussain Khatana and Noor Din Khatana, all residents of Sigdi Bhata. Police sources said the militants were arrested after confirmed inputs that they were working as Over Ground Workers for Amin Bhat for past few months. They were instrumental in supplying ration and transporting ammunition for Amin Bhat from one place to another. Amin Bhat had earlier surrendered as a militant only to resume his activities few months back by snatching AK rifle and ammunition from a Special Police Officer.

September 13: A civilian, the father of a surrendered militant, made a attempt to capture two militants alive in his house in the night but was shot dead after a half-an-hour long clash with the militants at Sigdi Bhatta in the Kishtwar District. The victim was identified as Ghulam Ahmed Chowhan, father of Saifullah alias Raqeeb, a surrendered militant of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM). According to official sources, two militants, identified as Amin Bhat and Nissar Ahmed, both of whom had re-joined militancy after their surrender, came to the house of Ghulam Ahmed Chowhan. Amin Bhat had snatched an AK-47 rifle and 60 rounds from a surrendered militant turned Special Police Officer Iqbal Kabli about a couple of months back and fled to the forests. Amin is reported to have used the same AK-47 rifle in the killing of Chowhan.

September 5: SFs shot dead a militant of the HM outfit, who was allegedly involved in the killing of two CRPF troopers in a shoot out in the capital Srinagar earlier this week, during an encounter in the Pattan area of Baramulla District. "Police and Army killed one HM militant at Poshwani in Pattan area of Baramulla District," a Police spokesman said. The slain militant has been identified as Shamim Sada alias Rizwan, a resident of Sada Mohalla in Pattan. Initial investigation has revealed that he was involved in the killing of the CRPF troopers earlier this week. Shamim Sada was arrested by SFs in 2006 and had been released some time back after being detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) for nearly two years. Official sources said he was "recycled" into militancy three months ago when he was motivated back into subversive activities by a top commander of the outfit.

September 1: Yet another infiltration attempt, backed by Pakistan troops, was made by a group of Pakistani militants from the Line of Control (LoC) at Sagra village in the Mendhar sector of Poonch district in the early hours. An Army trooper is reported to have died in the firing from across the LoC. "It was being ascertained as to whether the bullet was fired by Pakistan army or the militants trying to sneak-in. The bullet was fired from a sniper rifle which was available with top commanders of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen militants", official sources told Daily Excelsior.

August 28: A 'commander' of the HM outfit was sentenced to life imprisonment by a local court in Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh. It found him guilty of sedition and procuring AK-47 rifles to wage a war against the country. The First Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge, L. Srirama Murthy, sentenced Mujib Ahmed to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of INR 5000 under various charges, adds Times of India. Six of his associates were sentenced to 10-years rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of INR 2000. As reported earlier, Mujeeb Ahmed and six others were held guilty on the charge of sedition and collecting arms with an intention to wage a war against the country on August 27. In that report, Mujeeb was identified as an ISI, Pakistan's external intelligence agency agent.

August 25: SFs arrested two HM militants and recovered arms and explosives at Tengpora bypass in the outskirts of Pulwama town. The duo was identified as Mushtaq Ahmad Lone alias Irfan, a resident of Nadihal in Bandipora District, and Showkat Ahmad Sheikh alias Haaris, a resident of Pattan in Baramulla District. Two pistols, two pistol magazines, 12 rounds and two grenades were recovered from their possession.

A HM militant escaped from Police custody from a hotel at Batote in Ramban District but was re-arrested by the Police from Chanderkoot in the evening. Official sources said Tariq Ahmed, a resident of Yaripora in Kulgam, was being shifted from Kulgam to Kathua District prison after his court attendance. During night, four Policemen accompanying the militant decided to have a night halt at Hotel Hill View in Batote. At 2 am (IST), the militant managed to escape but was re-arrested later.

Police rearrested Gazi Misbahuddin alias Nisar Ahmad, the former chief commander of the HM, nearly a week after he was granted bail by a court and handed over to his lawyers. There were reports that Misbahuddin, a close aide of HM chief Syed Salahuddin, had given the Police a slip while he was being taken to a court in Anantnag. Misbahuddin was re-arrested by Police on August 25 after a massive operation was launched in different areas of south Kashmir. Gazi was operations chief of the HM.

August 23: Police arrested three militants of the HM outfit, hailing from Kulgam District, and recovered from their possession INR 120000 worth hawala money which they were smuggling from Srinagar to Gool in the Ramban District. Superintendent of Police Mubassir Latifi said the hawala money was meant for HM ‘divisional commander’ Mushtaq Ahmed Bhat alias Maqsood Bhat, presently operating in the Gool-Gulabgarh belt. The three militants were identified as Aijaz Ahmed Wani, Mohammad Yusuf, both residents of village Danow in Kulgam District, and Javed Ahmed Malik, a resident of Damhal Hanjipora in Kulgam.

August 19: Two top commanders of the HM outfit were killed while their two associates escaped in an encounter with troops of the Rashtriya Rifles and Police at village Kushaal in the Chatroo area of Kishtwar District. A massive search operation was still on in Kushaal forests by the SFs to neutralize the two absconding militants, who reportedly include Shaheen Parvez, a ‘district commander’ of the HM. Haseeb Mughal, the Superintendent of Police in Kishtwar, said SFs launched a search operation at Kushaal in the early hours after developing specific information that four hardcore HM militants had been hiding in the area. The militants include ‘district commander’ Shaheen Parvez, Shakoor Ahmed alias Zubair of Ramban, Bashir Ahmed alias Javed of Laloor in Doda and Manzoor Wani of Kishtwar. In the resultant encounter, two militants were killed while two others managed to escape taking cover of the grown up crop and a hostile weather. Bodies of the two slain militants have been recovered from the spot. One of them has been identified as Manzoor Wani while the other one could either by Shakoor Ahmed or Bashir Ahmed, Police sources said. Recoveries made from the incident site include one AK-47 rifle, two grenades, one binocular, two mobile telephones, three SIM cards, three AK magazines and a pouch.

August 18: A SPO was killed in an encounter with the HM militants at Marmat in the Doda District. Though the militants managed to escape, the SFs have launched a search operation to apprehend them.

August 17: Two suspected HM militants accused of conspiring to carry out terrorist attacks in the national capital were remanded to 14 days' judicial custody by a court in Delhi. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja sent Javed Ahmed Tantray and Ashiq Ali Batt to judicial custody till August 31. Tantray and Batt were arrested by the Delhi Police on August 6.

August 14: Army personnel shot dead four top ranking militants of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) in an encounter at Kund forests under Mahore Police Station in the Reasi District. Senior Superintendent of Police, Anand Jain, said Army personnel launched a search operation in Kund forests at 4.30pm (IST) soon after developing specific information that four top HM militants had taken shelter in the area. The slain militants were identified the as Shabir Ahmed Chopan alias Tufail, Nazir Ahmed Sheikh alias Nassir, Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din alias Mudassir and Abdul Rashid. Tufail and Nassir besides a HM commander Janbaaz, who was killed last month, were involved in the killing of three members of a family, including a newly wedded boy Aiyaz Ahmed, his father Ahmed Din and mother-in-law Taj Begum on May 8, 2009 just a day after the marriage of Aiyaz with Taj Begum's daughter. The bride-groom and his family members were killed as the boy had married a girl against the wishes of a HM militant. Two AK rifles, one pistol, four grenades, four AK magazines, one pistol magazine, 67 AK rounds, 23 pistol rounds, two I-Com wireless sets, five mobile telephones with SIM cards (two of whom were suspected to be Pakistani phones), INR 4000 in cash, one binocular, two solar panel with batteries and four pouches were recovered from the possession of slain militants.

August 9: A Territorial Army trooper was shot at and seriously injured by two HM militants, identified as Chota Hafiz and Rizwan, at village Pethgaon in the Navapachi area of Kishtwar District in the night. He has been identified as Ishtiyaq Ahmed, a resident of Pethgaon. Reports said two over-ground workers of the HM, Ashiq Hussain and Ghulam Mohammad, were reported to have motivated Rizwan and Chota Hafiz for the attack on Ishtiyaq Ahmed. Police have detained Ashiq Hussain while Ghulam Mohammad was absconding.

August 7: Salahuddin and his deputy, Khalid Saifullah remanded to 10-day Police custody by a court. The Police are trying to ascertain whether Javed Ahmad Tantray and Ashiq Ali Butt had been sent to carry out an attack in the run-up to the Independence Day celebrations in Delhi on August 15.

August 7: SFs arrested one over-ground worker of the HM, identified as Irshad Rather, from Peth Seer Sopore in Baramulla District. Five Chinese grenades, INR 50,000 cash, a cheque worth INR 50,000, one Nokia mobile phone, two photographs and list of mobile phone numbers were recovered from him, the spokesman said.

August 6: Two suspected HM militants, who were allegedly planning terror attacks in the national capital ahead of Independence Day on August 15, were arrested, a senior Delhi Police official said. Javed Ahmed and Ashiq Ali were arrested by Delhi Police's Special Cell from central Delhi's Daryaganj area when they were traveling in a car. "We caught them from Mahavir parking area," Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) P. N. Agarwal said. "We had Intelligence inputs about the movement of these militants and we tracked them," the officer said. He said two AK-47 rifles, about 100 cartridges and two grenades were also recovered from the militants, who were in their early 30s. Asked about their nationality, the official said they appeared to be Indians, PTI reported.

August 6: The two suspected HM militants, who were arrested by the Delhi Police in the night, confessed that they had been sent to India by the outfit's Pakistan-based 'Supreme Commander' Syed Salahuddin on an important assignment. Their interrogation so far has revealed that Salahuddin and his deputy, Khalid Saifullah, met them separately at training camps in PoK seven months before and asked them to remain prepared for an important assignment. A fortnight later, another militant Shahid told them to sneak into India through Nepal. He also procured passports and visas for them. Javed and Ashiq reportedly met for the first time at Rawalpindi in Pakistan on July 29, 2009 through Shahid. He gave them INR 40,000 and took them from Islamabad to Karachi, from where they boarded a flight to Nepal. Another handler at Pokhara in Nepal helped them sneak into India through Sanauli in Uttar Pradesh. The two boarded a train at Gorakhpur to Jammu on August 3. In Jammu, they were reportedly contacted by Faiyaz, who arranged for them a white Santro car and two AK-47 rifles, two hand grenades and four magazines. They were asked to go to Darya Ganj in Delhi and contact Shahid in Pakistan.

August 5: A ‘section commander’ of the HM outfit, identified as Noor Mohammad alias Noora alias Mansoor, was shot dead by the Police at village Chalot in the Marmat area of Doda District early in the morning. He was reportedly instrumental in the killing of five civilians at village Bari in 2008 besides a number of subversive activities, Senior Superintendent of Police Parbhat Singh said. One AK rifle, one wireless set and three magazines were recovered from the slain militant.

August 2: Cracking a financial network of the HM outfit, the SOG of Jammu Police arrested Asrar-ul-Haq, the 'financial manager' of the outfit's 'divisional commander', from the Gujjar Nagar area along with INR 300000 hawala money. Several fake identity cards including those of Lab Assistant, Bhaderwah campus of Jammu University and cameraman, Press Jammu Classifieds were also recovered from the possession of Asrar, the sources said. However, the financier of the outfit, who delivered the money to Asrar-ul-Haq, managed to escape from the area well before the arrival of the Police. The preliminary questioning of Asrar-ul-Haq revealed that he was deputed by HM's divisional commander in Doda, Shah Din Khandey a.k.a. as Shah, to collect hawala money from a financier of the outfit in Jammu.

July 27: Police recovered a consignment of explosives and ammunition from village Khour in the Reasi District. A hideout of the HM outfit was neutralized in the operation. Senior Superintendent of Police Anand Jain said a Police team carried out searches in Khour forests on specific information about a major HM hideout which was being used by the outfit for shelter. Recoveries made from the hideout include four grenades, detonators, one UBGL shell, 130 rounds of AK-47, batteries, charges and some explosive material used in making IEDs.

July 21: The bullet ridden body of a HM militant was recovered from the Shahdar Dessa area of Doda District. An official spokesman said that troops of the Rashtriya Rifles recovered the body of Ghulam Hassan alias Gulzar, a resident of Bata Dessa. He was reportedly active since 1997 and might have been killed by his own associates on July 17, the spokesman said.

July 19: A youth, who was working as a ‘police source’ was shot dead by three militants of the HM outfit in his residence at Chilli in the Doda District. He has been identified as Abdul Hamid (26), a resident of Chilli. Reports said three HM militants, identified as ‘divisional commander’ Shah Din Khanday, ‘tehsil commander’ Tariq Ahmed and ‘district commander’ Ghulam Nabi alias Gama struck at Chilli at 9.30 pm and shot dead Abdul Hamid in his house. Reports said Hamid was a source of the Police and had got top HM militant Javed Jatt killed a year ago. He was also instrumental in three-four other successful operations.

July 17: Two top militants of the HM, including a ‘commander’, were killed and their female associate was injured and subsequently arrested after an encounter in the house of a contractor at village Dahrot in the Doda District. The slain militants were identified as Issaq, a resident of Kalihand, and Sartaj alias Doctor Sohail, a resident of Shail Malna. Sohail was an ‘A’ category militant and was involved in a series of subversive activities in the Doda and Kishtwar Districts since the last three years. Issaq had reportedly joined militancy about a year back. Recoveries made from their possession include one AK-56 rifle, one pistol, magazines and rounds of AK and pistol and some grenades. House of the contractor, Mohammad Sharief Naik, was gutted in the fire that followed the gun-battle. The woman militant, identified as Shakeela, wife of slain Hizb ‘district commander’ Haq Nawaz and daughter of Naik, has been arrested by Police, SSP, Parbhat Singh, said. The SSP said Security Forces had developed a very specific input that even after the killing of her husband Haq Nawaz, Shakeela continued to work for the HM. 

July 14: A top ‘commander’ of the HM was shot dead by the SFs in an encounter at village Kanthi in the Gulabgarh area of Reasi District. However, his body-guard reportedly managed to escape. A woman was, however, caught in the exchange of firing between militants and SFs and was injured. Slain militant Bashir Ahmed alias Janbaaz, a resident of Baransal in Mahore, was involved in a series of subversive activities in parts of Gool-Gulabgarh-Mahore for the last seven years. His latest victims were three members of a family who were killed by his group at Baransal following the refusal of parents of a girl to marry their daughter to a HM militant. Senior Superintendent of Police Anand Jain said one AK-56 rifle with three magazines and 80 cartridges, one rocket shell, four pencil cells, one purse and one pouch were recovered from the slain militant.

July 4: Police arrested two militants belonging to the banned HM outfit at Budgam and Pulwama Districts of the Kashmir valley. In a search operation at village Wuyan in the Pulwama District, identified as Zahoor Ahmad Bhat alias Junaid, a Pakistan trained militant of the HM outfit, was arrested, a Police spokesman said in Srinagar. The spokesman also said one Chinese pistol, one pistol magazine, six pistol rounds and three hand grenades were recovered from his possession. In another operation, the Budgam District Police arrested another HM militant, identified as Abdul Rahman Bhat alias Javed, at Mirgund crossing. One pistol, one magazine and six pistol rounds were recovered from his possession, he added.

July 3: A surrendered militant and a former deputy village chief were killed and another civilian was seriously injured in an attack at village Tandar in the Sounder area of Kishtwar District by four militants of the HM outfit in the night. Official sources said four militants, three of whom were later identified by their code names as Dawood, Wasim and Prince, entered Tandar, located in the remote heights of Sounder and first intruded into the houses of Nazir Ahmad Kar, a former deputy village chief, and dragged him out at gunpoint in front of his family members. They took him to a nearby field and slit his throat leading to his death on the spot. Subsequently, the militants moved to the shop-cum-residence of Tariq Hussain and asked about the whereabouts of his nephew Abdul Majeed. As both Tariq Hussain and Abdul Majeed were present in the same house, one of the militants opened fire on them outside their shop-cum-residence. Presuming them as dead, all four militants escaped from the village. While Majeed succumbed to his injuries, Tariq Hussain was admitted to a hospital. Sources said Abdul Majeed was a top militant of the HuJI till 2007 when he switched over to the HM and worked with his killers Dawood, Wasim and Prince besides the now dead Mohammed Usmaan Qari. However, he surrendered before SFs in May 2008 and since then was running a shop. All the three had been charged by the militants for working as sources of the SFs and Police.

July 1: Police recovered the body of a HM militant, who was believed to be killed in a group clash, in Kulgam District. SFs recovered the body of Mohammad Rafiq Gujjar alias Abu Dujjan from Chatternad forest area. Gujjar had been killed in a group clash between militants, a Police spokesman said in Srinagar.

June 21: A HM militant was shot dead by SFs in an encounter at Lower Seel in the Bharat area of Doda District. Two militants escaped during the gun-battle. The slain militant has been identified as Mohammed Issaq Khan (code name Naseer-ul-Islam), a resident of Kulhand in Doda. Issaq Khan was reportedly an active militant of the HM for last six months. From his possession, Police recovered one rifle, a magazine and some ammunition.

June 19: A day ahead of Vice President Hamid Ansari's visit to Kashmir, a former militant of the HM was killed while two of his accomplices were injured when an IED they had allegedly fabricated exploded in the Lal Bazaar area of capital Srinagar. Firdous Ali Dar, a resident of the nearby Alasteng area, was blown up when the IED he had allegedly put together went off at a house at Bhagati Shoora in Lal Bazaar area. The house owner, Riyaz Ahmad Bhat, and another former HM militant, Ghulam Mohammad Ganaie, were injured in the blast. Three grenades, one IED, 100 rounds of AK 47, one mobile phone and some burnt Indian currency notes were recovered from the spot. The Police also recovered large quantity of crackers from the incident site. Official sources said Dar and Ganaie, who were considered to be experts in making of explosives during their active time in subversive activities, might have been persuaded by militants back to militancy. After surrendering, the deceased militant had reportedly taken up a job as an electrician in the Kashmir University, where Vice President Hamid Ansari is scheduled to attend the 17th Convocation of the varsity.

June 14: Militants shot dead a former colleague in the Gutlibagh area of Ganderbal District. A Police spokesman said in Srinagar that unidentified militants intruded into the house of Showkat Ahmad Khan alias Shoqeen and shot at him from close range. Khan, a released militant of the HM outfit, is reported to have died on the spot.

June 8: The Army recovered two more consignments of explosive devices, including five kilograms of RDX and 12 hand grenades, during search operations in the Rajouri and Doda Districts. Official sources said troops of the Rashtriya Rifles neutralized a hideout of the LeT militants at Narla Bambal under the jurisdiction of Dharamshal Police station in Rajouri District and seized five kg RDX, 12 hand grenades, 761 AK rounds, 10 detonators, one radio set, two tape recorders, five IED sets, five AK magazines, one Chinese pistol with two magazines and one pouch. In another search operation, the SFs recovered one Rocket Propelled Grenade Launcher from a hideout of the HM ‘commander’ Ghulam Hussain alias Kari in the Kharepokhun forests of Doda District. Kari was shot dead by the troops in an encounter on May 26.

June 5: Three hardcore militants of the LeT and HM outfits were killed by the SFs during an encounter at Mandrala under the jurisdiction of Gandoh Police Station on the Doda-Himachal Pradesh border. Senior Superintendent of Police Parbhat Singh said a joint team of Police and Army launched a search operation after securing specific information that three commanders of LeT and HM outfits were hiding in village Mandrala for the past few days. "It would have been difficult to trace the militants had they slipped into the territory of Himachal Pradesh", Singh said, adding that SFs surrounded the hideout before asking them to surrender. However, all three militants opened heavy firing on the troops and tried to break their cordon to escape. In the ensuing encounter, the troops killed the three militants who have been identified as Zafarullah, Shabir Ahmed and Nazir Ahmed. Official sources said Zafarullah and Nazir were section and area commanders respectively of the HM outfit while Shabir Ahmed was deputy district commander of the LeT. Recoveries made from the incident site include one sniper rifle with telescope, its two magazines and 19 rounds, one AK rifle with one magazine and 9 rounds, three grenades, detonators, wire, explosive devices, identity cards, letter heads of HM and LeT outfits besides some incriminating documents of the two outfits and personal belongings of the militants.

June 3: SFs neutralized a hideout of the HM in Mahakund forests of Poonch District and recovered a large quantity of explosive devices and ammunition. The recoveries included three kilograms of RDX, six Chinese hand grenades, three Indian grenades, 38 detonators, one RPG with buster, two UBGLs, one pistol with magazine, one Icon radio set, one Alinco radio set, two meters fuse wire, one binocular, two kg sulphur, nine kg explosive powder, 199 rounds of F 7.62 LMG, 31 AK ammunition and two IED boxes. However, no arrests were made from the spot.

May 30: A suspected cadre of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen was arrested by the SFs from Doda District. A joint team of Rashtriya Rifles and State Police arrested Nissar Dhar, who had allegedly been working for the militant outfit, from periphery of Doda town in the evening, the spokesman added.

May 29: Two HM militants surrendered before the Police in Kulgam District after long stays in PoK where they had gone to receive arms training. Sabzar Ahmad alias Sarwar, a resident of Vessu in the Qazigund area of Anantnag District, and Abdul Hamid alias Abbas, a resident of Kaddar in Kulgam District, surrendered before Police in Kulgam, official sources said. They said the militants had returned a few days ago from PoK via Nepal.

May 28: Police arrested a militant belonging to the banned HM outfit from Janbazpora in the Baramulla District. The arrested militant has been identified as Fayaz Ahmad Dar alias Fahadullah, a resident of Krengsoo Mattan in Anantnag District, a Police spokesman said.

May 26: Three militants of the HM outfit were killed while two others managed to escape in two major encounters in the Doda and Kishtwar Districts. Bodies of two militants have been recovered while a search operation was underway to trace the body of third slain militant, official sources said.

May 22: Troops from the Rashtriya Rifles and Police arrested an ‘A’ category militant of the HM outfit, identified as Khalid alias Sohail alias Toufeel, from Sopore in the Baramulla District. One pistol, one magazine and five rounds were recovered from his possession. On his disclosure, the Security Forces conducted a raid in the Badamibadh area and arrested an over-ground worker of the HM, identified as Mohammed Sayeed. From the hideout, a laptop, several electronic gadgets and fake stamps were recovered.

May 21: Police killed a ‘battalion commander’ belonging to the banned HM outfit during an encounter with militants at village Guddar in the Kulgam District. The slain militant has been identified as Ahmad Din alias Wasim, a resident of Shivras Gool Gulab Garh in Reasi, a Police spokesman said. One AK 47 rifle, four AK magazines, 98 AK rounds, one Chinese pistol, two pistol magazines, eight pistol rounds, one satellite phone and one wireless set were recovered from his possession, he added.

May 19: A militant belonging to the banned HM outfit was arrested in Anantnag District and arms and ammunition were recovered from his possession. A Police spokesman said in capital Srinagar that Tariq Ahmad Beigh was arrested from an orchard land between Matibugh and Parigam Payeen along with one AK 47 rifle, two magazines, 40 rounds of AK 47 ammunition and two hand grenades.

May 19: Two top HM militants surrendered before the Army and Police along with arms and ammunition in Kishtwar town. They have been identified as Younus Gujjar, a resident of Polar and Javed Iqbal, a resident of Bunjwa, Kishtwar. Younus was a ‘section commander’ while Iqbal was an ‘area commander’ and were reportedly active in the Doda and Kishtwar Districts for last couple of years and were involved in a series of subversive activities. At the time of surrender, the militants handed over two rifles, three magazines, five grenades and some other items.

May 15: Suspected militants opened fire on the house of village official at Arth in Ganderbal District but no one was injured in the firing. Later, a hand written note purportedly from the HM was found from a local mosque asking people to stay away from "anti-movement" activities. "We could have dragged you out and killed you but we want to give you one last chance to apologies to the nation. You should do it at the Friday prayers in the local mosque today," the letter allegedly written by HM ‘division commander’ Umar Khan said.

May 12: A young girl was killed in cross-firing between militants and SFs in the remote Suroo forests in Kishtwar District in which two top HM ‘commanders’ were injured and the third one was believed dead while another militant escaped. Police initially maintained that the slain girl was a militant, but later described her as an ‘A’ category Over Ground Worker of militants in the evening but late in the night it gave her ‘benefit of doubt’ after which civil administration released INR 100000 ex-gratia in her favour. The Inspector General of Police, K. Rajendera, said 23-year old Amina Bano, a resident of village Kanow, who was killed in the encounter, has been given ‘benefit of doubt’ as "we have nothing on record to prove her as a militant though police have reports of her militant links". Rajendera said: "police had reports about the presence of four top HM militants including Ishaq Bhat and Shahdin Khandey in Suroo forests. It was on the basis of this information that an operation was launched in the forests.” In the exchange of firing, all four militants were injured, sources said, adding that Bhat and Khandey had taken shelter somewhere along Suroo in an injured condition while their third unidentified associate was believed to have been killed. The fourth militant managed to escape. Police recovered AK and SLR magazines, 12 cartridges, three identity cards, including the one issued on the name of a student of Government Degree College Sopore, blankets, rations, religious books and "jehadi" literature from the incident site.

May 8: The HM militants shot dead three persons including, one woman, at Bandara village in Gulabgarh area of Reasi District. Official sources said four HM militants led by Ishfaq Ahmed appeared at the house of Aijaz Ahmed at 10.30 pm (IST) and dragged him and his father, Ahmed Din out of the house. They took the duo to nearby house of Aijaz Ahmed’s in-laws and brought out his mother-in-law, Taja Begum. They shot dead all three civilians and managed to escape. The report adds that Ishfaq Ahmed is the self-styled lover of Aijaz Ahmed’s wife. He wanted to marry her and asked her mother, Taja Begum, to marry her daughter with him. Since both Taja Begum and her daughter had rejected the militant’s proposal. Ishfaq had threatened all local people in the area not to marry the girl. However, Taja Begum dared to take on the militants and married her daughter with her neighbor Aijaz Ahmed, son of Ahmed Din, only four days back. Ishfaq Ahmed along with his three associates—Nazir Ahmed, Khalid Hussain and Janbaaz, struck at village Bandara and shot dead the three civilians. 

May 8: one civilian was shot dead in an exchange of firing between militants and Security Forces (SFs) at village Salota in Marmat area of Doda District. Reports said Security Forces and Police had launched a search operation for a ‘divisional commander’ of the HM, Javed Qureshi, in Salota area of Marmat after getting information about his presence. However, a civilian was caught in the exchange of firing and got killed. He was identified as Mohd Sadiq Wani, a resident of Salota. Javed Qureshi and his associates managed to escape during the exchange of firing.

May 7: SFs killed two top HM commanders while their third associate managed to escape during an encounter at Ghai in the Doda District. The operation was on to neutralize the fleeing militant, who has been injured in the encounter. The slain militants have been identified as Farooq Padar and Sadiq Rather with intercepts revealing that both were commander level militants of the HM outfit and were operating in the upper reaches of Doda District for the last several years. They were reportedly involved in a series of subversive activities across the Doda and Kishtwar Districts. The absconding militant has been identified as Ghulam Hassan. From the possession of the slain militants, SFs recovered two rifles, three magazines, seven rounds, one mobile telephone, two SIM cards, two pouches and some incriminating documents. Few personal belongings of the militants were also found in the hideout which was destroyed in the operation.

May 4: A HM commander, identified as Dawood Bhat, was shot dead by Police at Kilotran, Gandoh in the Doda District. However, the body-guard of the militant managed to escape from the spot along with weapons. A fake identity card with stamp of civil authorities of Anantnag District was recovered from his possession. Police said Dawood Bhat had left Doda for Pakistan for advanced training in weaponry and handling of sophisticated explosives in 1998. He was known with the name of Shahbaaz in 1998. However, on his return to Doda from Pakistan he had been given the name of ‘Captain’ Masood. Dawood Bhat had come back to Doda only a week ago and had been assigned the task of stepping up militant activities by HM commanders in Pakistan.

April 30: Police arrested two over-ground workers of the HM at Awantipora in Pulwama District. The duo was identified as Mohammad Ashraf Mir and Mehraj-ud-Din Dar. A Police spokesman said two hand grenades were recovered from their possession.

April 28: A top HM militant was shot dead by the Police in an encounter at Dera Top in the Doda District while a search operation was on to arrest his two associates. The Senior Superintendent of Police, Parbhat Singh, said 11 Police personnel from Doda were deputed to Marmat three days back after receiving information about the presence of three HM militants in a hideout. A contact with the militants was established at 1.45 pm on April 28 and after a fierce exchange of gun-battle, an ‘A’ category militant, identified as Mohammed Yusuf Zarar alias Haq Nawaz alias Wasim, a resident of Marmat, was killed. One AK-47 rifle, two magazines, eight SIM cards and one pouch were recovered from the slain militant.

April 24: SFs shot dead two HM militants during an encounter in the Sopore area of Baramulla District. "A cordon and search operation was carried out by Srinagar Police, Sopore Police and 29 Rashtriya Rifles at Akhoonpora Haritar in Sopore which turned into an encounter with militants," a Police spokesman said. He said two militants were killed in the exchange of fire between the two sides which lasted for several hours. The slain militants have been identified as Mohammad Yaqoob Dar alias Zubair, a resident of Ussan-Pattan, and Shaheen, a resident of PoK, the spokesman said. Two AK 47 rifles, three grenades, one radio set and eight AK magazines were recovered from the encounter site.

April 20: A HM militant and a CRPF trooper were killed and four SF personnel sustained injuries in a three-hour long gun-battle in the Pattan area of Baramulla District. The slain militant was identified as Abdul Rashid Baigh, a resident of Ganastan in Sumbal. One CRPF trooper, Amit Kumar Tyagi, also died in the encounter while four SF personnel were wounded. Official sources said Baigh had recently returned from across the Line of Control after receiving training in handling of arms and ammunition.

March 31: A HM militant, Abdul Qayoom Wani alias Saifullah Tirazy, surrendered before the Police at Miran Sahib in Jammu along with an AK rifle and some ammunition.

March 28: Two HM militants, identified as Ashaq Hussan Tali alias Imran and Abdul Qayoom, were arrested by SFs from Pattan area of Baramulla District. Two HM militants were arrested by 29 Rashtriya Rifles at Palhalan in Pattan area during a search operation near Palhalan Mode,” a Police spokesman said. One AK 56 rifle, two AK magazines, 60 AK rounds, one pistol and one pistol magazine were recovered from their possession.

March 27: Three HM militants from the Pattan area of Baramulla District. They have been identified as Parveez Ahmad Wani, Irfan Ahmad Rather and Mudasir Ahmad Wani. Two Pistols, two Pistol magazines, ten rounds of ammunition and a Pakistani passport bearing the name of Parveez Ahmad Wani were recovered from their possession.

March 27: SFs arrested an over-ground worker of the HM from Matibugh area of Kulgam district. Identified as Rouf Ahmad Rather, four UBGL grenades were recovered from his possession.

March 26: Police arrested Nazir Ahmed, a militant of the HM outfit, from Mahore in the Reasi District.

March 26: The Kulgam District Police and Rashtriya Rifles soldiers arrested one over-ground worker of the HM from Munnad. Identified as Mohammad Ashraf Khan, 25 AK rounds and 850 grams of black powder explosive were recovered from his possession.

March 24: Police arrested a HM militant, Zaid Ahmed Dar alias Mubassir, from Jewel Chowk soon after he reached Jammu from Srinagar to revive the base of militants. In addition, an over-ground worker of the HM, identified as Ateeq Ullah Dar, was also arrested in Jammu when he was purchasing combat dresses for the militants. He was reportedly purchasing items for Ghulam Nabi alias Javed, a district commander of the HM. Sources said Ateeq’s brother Irfan Hussain alias Harun, a HM militant, was killed in an encounter with the SFs in 2006.

March 24: An over-ground worker of the HM, identified as Ateeq Ullah Dar, was arrested in Jammu when he was purchasing combat dresses for the militants. He was reportedly purchasing items for Ghulam Nabi alias Javed, a district commander of the HM. Sources said Ateeq’s brother Irfan Hussain alias Harun, a HM militant, was killed in an encounter with the SFs in 2006.

March 22: In three operations, Police has arrested three militants of the banned HM outfit in Anantnag District and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition from north and south Kashmir areas, a Police spokesman said in Srinagar. Police arrested three HM militants, identified as Abid Hussain Ganai, Ashiq Hussain Shah and Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat, from Rakh-e-Arwani area in Anantnag. In another operation, SFs recovered 87 rounds of AK 47 from an abandoned migrant’s house at Malpora. SF personnel carried out search operations in several villages of Baramulla District, including in Indergam and Chanderhama, and recovered one rocket launcher, one pistol, two pistol magazines, eight pistol rounds, one radio set, three AK magazines, 183 AK rounds, belted ammunition with 50 rounds, two ‘pressure cooker’ IEDs, six hand-grenades and 17 pamphlets of the Hizb outfit.

March 19: An active militant of the HM outfit, identified as Dilawar Gegi alias Danish, was arrested by Police at Kangan in the Ganderbal District. Following the arrest, one AK series rifle, four AK magazines and other arms and ammunition were recovered from a hideout in the Akhal forest area, a Police spokesman said.

March 12: SFs arrested two militants of the HM in Pulwama and Baramulla Districts of Kashmir valley.

March 12: The SFs arrested one over-ground worker of the Hizb, identified as Manzoor Ahmad Mir, from his residence at Qasbiyar in the Rajpora area of Pulwama District, a Police spokesman said in capital Srinagar. Two letter pads were recovered from his possession.

March 12: Troops arrested one person affiliated with the HM at Andergam village in the Pattan area of Baramulla District. Identifying the arrested person as Abdul Majid Parray, the Police spokesman said 60 AK-47 rounds, two Chinese grenades, one Chinese pistol and one pistol magazine were recovered from his possession.

March 9: SFs shot dead two militants of the HM outfit in Battas-Dharam area under the jurisdiction of Gool Police Station in Ramban District. An official spokesman said that another militant, believed to be a foreigner, managed to escape from the incident site under the cover of darkness. The slain militants have been identified as Abdul Majid, a resident of Asthan, and Mohammed Altaf, a resident of Bhimdessa Gool. From the encounter site, the troops also recovered one 303 rifle with magazine, two 303 cartridges, one pouch, one Sniper gun with magazine, half kilograms of RDX and some grenades. The spokesman said that the 303 gun recovered from the encounter site was looted by the militants from Indian Police Post.

March 1: An over-ground worker of the HM outfit, identified as Farooq Ahmad Dar, was arrested from the Pulwama District town. Two INSAS magazines, 35 rounds, one Mobile phone and INR 1600 were recovered from his possession.

February 20: At least five militants escaped after a brief encounter with the SFs at Bada De Khetar forests in the Ramnagar area of Udhampur District leaving behind three rifles and a large quantity of ammunition and ration. Official sources said the SFs was zeroing-in on a militant hideout at Bada De Khetar in the upper reaches of Ramnagar after trekking for two days when both sides exchanged firing for a few minutes before the suspected HM militants, believed to be five in number, managed to escape deep into the forests. SFs recovered one AK-56 rifle, one AK-47 rifle, one .303 rifle, 70 AK rounds, one binocular, two Chinese grenades, batteries, milk powder, blankets, two solar chargers and 110 kg ration from the incident site. The militants were reportedly using the forests as a hideout for quite some time.

February 9: Police arrested Muzaffar Ahmad Dar, the ‘chief operations commander’ of HM outfit, from a locality near Kashmir University in the Hazratbal area of capital Srinagar. “J&K Police has achieved a major success in its drive in anti-terrorist operations with the arrest of HM chief operations commander Muzaffar Ahmad Dar from Sadrabal area of the city near Kashmir University,” the IGP (Kashmir), B. Srinivas, told reporters at a press conference. Srinivas said Dar, who was operating under various aliases like Gaznavi, Mohammad Ali and ''One Nine'', was arrested around 3.30 p.m. A resident of Chichlora in the Pattan area of Baramulla District, 38 year-old Dar joined the HM in the early 1990''s. Srinivas said "Over the years, he has masterminded several terrorist activities including the blast at Narbal in July 2008 in which security forces suffered losses. He had been actively involved in financing the terrorist activities of Hizb.”

February 9: Police also arrested a Government official of the Rural Development Department for his connections with the HM outfit from village Shagla Koti in the Doda District. The accused has been identified as Ghulam Hassan, a resident of Shagla Koti. Police said Hassan was on way to meet HM militant Abu Akasha alias Khalid in the upper reaches of Doda to pay him monthly contribution of INR 4000 when he was arrested.

February 5: Several banned militant groups met in Muzaffarabad, the Pakistan occupied Kashmir capital, and pledged to continue the jihad to “liberate” Kashmir from India. The meeting was organised by a previously unknown group, Tehreek-e-Azadi Jammu and Kashmir, on the eve of “Kashmir Solidarity Day” observed. Groups affiliated to the United Jihad Council (UJC), the umbrella organisation of more than a dozen militant outfits, were in attendance including the HM, the JeM and the HuM. The meeting took place at Chattar, a neighbourhood that reportedly houses Government offices, top Government functionaries and political VIPs. The local administration did not prevent the event, held under a tent on a main road. However, there was no comment from the Pakistan Government on the meeting.

Syed Salahuddin, leader of the HM and the UJC, was the chief guest at the meeting. He accused Indian intelligence agencies of staging the Mumbai attacks to “divert international attention” from the Kashmir issue. He claimed, “I can say with the utmost surety that Lashkar, which has a remarkable role in Kashmir freedom struggle, is not involved, directly or indirectly, in those attacks.” Salahuddin also said, “Pakistan should immediately reverse its decisions which have sent a negative message to the Kashmiris across the divide.” The participants reportedly made cash donations for the Kashmir jihad on the suggestion of a speaker that this would send an effective message that people were not ready to accept such bans. The UJC chief said Kashmiri militants battling Indian forces were, in fact, also fighting for the defence of Pakistan and any compromise on the struggle would harm its interests. 

January 29: SFs arrested two OGW of the HM during an operation in the Pulwama District. A police spokesman said in capital Srinagar that "A joint party of Pulwama Police, 55 Rashtriya Rifles and 182 Battalion CRPF apprehended two OGWs of HM at bus stand in Pulwama District town." He said the duo have been identified as Abdul Qayoom Rah and Mohammad Maqbool Dar. One Pistol, four rounds and one grenade were recovered from their possession.

January 25: An under-ground hide out of the HM outfit was neutralised by the SF personnel at Wagan near Sher Bibi area close to Jammu-Srinagar National Highway under Banihal tehsil in the Ramban District. A large quantity of HM literature, LPG cylinders, utensils and other belongings of the militants were recovered from the hide out.

January 24: Police in the Doda District shot dead two top militants of the HM outfit, including a ‘tehsil commander’, in Batyas forests under the jurisdiction of Gandoh Police station and recovered a large quantity of arms and ammunition from their possession. Senior Superintendent of Police Prabhat Singh said a Police party was conducting searches in Batyas forests for the last three days after receiving specific information that top HM militants have developed hideouts there. The militants, who had taken shelter in a natural hideout, opened fire on the Police personnel, who retaliated. In the ensuing encounter, the two militants, identified as ‘tehsil commander’ Zahoor Ahmed Khandey alias Basir alias Salman and Sajjad Ahmed, were killed. Zahoor had crossed over to Pakistan in 1995 and returned the next year after arms training. Since 1996, he was operating in parts of Doda and Kishtwar Districts. Sajjad had joined militancy in May 2008 and was working as a close associate of Zahoor. Recoveries made from their possession include two AK-56 rifles, three magazines, 17 rounds, one radio set, one mobile telephone, two hand grenades and a large quantity of ration, incriminating documents etc. With this incident, a total of six commanders of the LeT and HM outfits have been killed in Doda District during the past couple of months.

January 15: Police arrested four over-ground workers of the HM from the Kangan area of Ganderbal District. They were identified as Sonaullah Bhat, Reyaz Ahmad Bhat, Manzoor Ahmad Khan and Javeed Ahmad Khan.

January 15: A HM ‘commander’, identified as Wasim Malik, who was involved in the January 26, 1995 serial blasts inside the MA stadium in Jammu and who had been bailed out by the court after his surrender in 2006, was re-arrested by Police from Kishtwar town.

January 14: Mohammad Ahsan Dar, a top militant and one of the founders of the HM, was arrested by Police in the Bandipora District. Dar, a close associate of Hizb chief Syed Salahuddin, was coordinating activities of the LeT, HM, JeM and HuM, DIG (North Kashmir) Abdul Gani Mir, said in Baramulla. Acting on specific information that Dar had returned from PoK and was coordinating the activities of different militant outfits, the Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested him in the early hours while he was trying to sneak into Sumbal area from his home town Pattan, he said. Dar, self-styled chief commander of Muslim Mujahideen, offered no resistance while being arrested, Mir said. The DIG said Dar had parted ways with the HM following differences with the top leadership of the outfit and founded Muslim Mujahideen in 1992. However, he remained close to Salahuddin, who also heads the United Jihad Council (UJC) – an amalgam of militant outfits active in the State. Dar, who is in his 50s, was arrested in 1993 and released in 1999 after six years in detention, Mir said, adding he had also visited Pakistan and has remained in close contact with the ISI and other Pakistani agencies. He has reportedly been regularly receiving funds from them. According to preliminary investigations, Dar had infiltrated into the Kashmir valley and was active since last one year. Dar had organised various attacks on Security Forces and was trying to give a fresh impetus to militant activities within the State and in the rest of the country. He had infiltrated into India via the Bangladesh border. Some incriminating documents have been recovered from him and further investigations are on, the DIG said.

January 13: Two hardcore militants of the LeT and HM outfits and two Police personnel were killed during an encounter at Lallu Khetar in the Kalakote area of Rajouri District. Inspector General of Police (Jammu), K. Rajendra, said a team of Special Striking Reserve and Police launched a search operation at Lallu Khetar at 3.30 pm (IST) after receiving inputs about the presence of militants in the area. In the ensuing encounter that lasted for approximately 90 minutes two militants and two Policemen, Mushtaq Ahmed and Nissar Hussain, were killed. At least two militants managed to escape taking cover of the forest area. The slain militants have been identified as Ashfaq, a HM ‘commander’, and Abu Talha, a LeT ‘commander’. Both of them were operating in different parts of Rajouri district for past several months and were involved in many subversive activities. Two AK-56 rifles, two magazines, 37 rounds, four hand grenades, one radio set, one mobile telephone and several incriminating documents were recovered from the incident site.

January 12: A trooper of the Territorial Army, Aijaz Ahmed, was injured in an encounter with militants of the HM in the Dachan forests of Kishtwar District. The encounter between the two sides was continuing till last reports came in.

2008

December 26: Udhampur District Police recovered one AK rifle, six magazines, 140 rounds, one wireless set, one hand grenade and a satellite telephone from a hideout disclosed by two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militants, arrested recently by the police from Upper Thanowa in Udhampur.

December 24: The Udhampur District Police arrested two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants during a search operation at village Thanowa. A large quantity of arms and ammunition was recovered from their possession at Neel Top in Banihal. They were identified as Bashir Ahmed Lohar alias Bilal alias Rafiq and Ashiq Hussain alias Shameem. Both militants were planning to carry out a terror strike in Udhampur town, said the Deputy Inspector General of Udhampur Range Alok Puri. He said Bashir Ahmed was an ‘area commander’ of the HM outfit and was trained in Pakistan and Afghanistan from 1991 to 1993. He was an improvised explosive device expert. His brother, Ghulam Hassan, was also a Pakistan trained militant and was later killed by Security Forces. Ashiq Hussain, a local militant, was reportedly a close associate of Bashir Lohar.

November 9: The house of a police constable Ghulam Nabi, posted with SSR was set ablaze by the HM militants at village Gulgut in the Reasi district.

November 8: Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police, in two separate counter-insurgency operations, shot dead eight top militants of the HM and LeT outfits — four each in the Doda and Poonch districts. The Senior Superintendent of Police of Doda district, Prabhat Singh, said that four hardcore HM militants, including a ‘district commander’, were killed during an encounter at Baleni Nullah in the Dessa area of Doda district.

November 6: A HM ‘district commander’, identified as Ghulam Ali alias Kamal Din, was arrested by the troops at Navapachi in the Marwah area of the Kishtwar district. Ghulam Ali had crossed over to PoK in 1992 and underwent arms training for a couple of years before returning to India. Since then, he had been operating in the Doda, Kishtwar and Anantnag districts and was involved in a series of subversive activities. He was also presently operating as ‘district commander’ of the HM. A large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the possession of arrested HM militant.

November 4: A ‘Divisional Commander’ of the HM, escaped from police custody after snatching the service rifle of escorting police personnel and subsequently firing at them in the court complex at Pulwama.

November 2: A HM militant, Ashiq Hussain alias Faizal Iqbal, was arrested by the police personnel during a search operation in the Ramban district. Ashiq reportedly entered the country through Nepal to disrupt the forthcoming Assembly elections. He was trained in Pakistan and was sent by the HM leadership in PoK to disrupt the forthcoming elections and create terror by triggering explosions in the State.

November 1: A HM militant, Farooq Ahmed Bhat alias Najeebullah, was arrested by a joint force of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the CRPF from near the railway station in Jammu. During his interrogation, the militant confessed that he had crossed over to Lipa Valley of PoK from Dodipura in Kupwara in 2001 where he received training in guerrilla warfare. After his training, he was recruited as an ‘instructor’ by the HM outfit to train other militants. He reached Jammu via Nepal border using various modes of transport. The militant had stayed in PoK for eight years.

The Crime Investigation Department of Pakistan arrested eight persons belonging to the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, a banned religious organisation. They were arrested between October 20 and 22 in raids in various parts of Karachi, before they could reportedly carry out planned terrorist activities in the city. They were hande over to the Sohrab Goth Supervisory Police Officer, Irfan Bahadur, on November 1.

A HM militant, Farooq Ahmed Bhat alias Najeebullah, was arrested by a joint force of Jammu and Kashmir Police and the CRPF from near the railway station in Jammu. During his interrogation, the militant confessed that he had crossed over to Lipa Valley of PoK from Dodipura in Kupwara in 2001 where he received training in guerrilla warfare. After his training, he was recruited as an ‘instructor’ by the HM outfit to train other militants. He reached Jammu via Nepal border using various modes of transport. The militant had stayed in PoK for eight years.

A HM militant, Ashiq Hussain alias Faizal Iqbal, was arrested by the police personnel during a search operation in the Ramban district.. Ashiq reportedly entered the country through Nepal to disrupt the coming Assembly elections. According to police sources, he was trained in Pakistan and was sent by the HM leadership in PoK to disrupt the forthcoming elections and create terror by triggering explosions in the State.

October 29: A self-styled ‘district commander’ of the HM outfit, identified as Abdul Rashid alias ‘Majid’, was killed in an encounter with the SFs at Nayan-Batpora village in the Pulwama district. The encounter broke out at around 7 am when a police party assisted by troops of RR raided a house adjacent to a school in the village following specific information about presence of the top HM militant there. The security forces asked the hiding militant to surrender but he opened fire and in the ensuing encounter, the self-styled district commander was killed.

The SFs arrested a militant sympathizer of the HM, identified as Irshad Ahmed, at Hara in the Reasi district.

October 27: Six HM militants, including a foreign mercenary, were shot dead the by Army and police during an encounter at Nithan forest in Gokund of Kishtwar district. Four AK-47 rifles, two pistols, nine magazines, 180 rounds, 18 grenades, two radio sets, two mobile phones and a large quantity of other ammunition and explosives were recovered from the encounter site.

October 23: The HM militants opened fire on a Panchayat (Village level self-government institution) going on in the house of a teacher at village Babariwala in the Haddal area of Doda district, killing a Nambardar (village headman) and injuring a civilian. Later, a top HM militant, identified as Harshad, was captured by the people inside the Panchayat but he too was killed in firing by the other militants. Senior Superintendent of Police (Doda), Parbhat Singh, said three HM militants struck at village Babariwala. While two of them stood outside, one of them with a rifle in hand entered inside the meeting venue in the house of a teacher, Liaquat Hussain. However, the local people sitting in the Panchayat caught hold of the militant and snatched his weapon before he could open firing. Sensing trouble inside, two militants standing outside opened indiscriminate firing in which their colleague and Nambardar were killed and another civilian, Hashim Din, was injured. Two other militants, one of whom has been identified by the local people as Mohd Yasir, fled from the spot.

Two top HM militants, identified as Mohammad Latief Chohan and Farooq Ahmad Chechi, were killed by the SFs in an encounter at Watlar in the Ganderbal district. According to police," Two AK 47 rifles, six magazines, 80 rounds of AK ammunition, two pouches and literature were recovered from them."

October 20: A top HM militant, Idris alias Imran, was arrested by the SOG at Sunjwan in the Jammu district.

October 18: Army shot dead three HM militants during an encounter at forward Kas Kancha area in the Keri sector of Rajouri district. An Army Major was also injured in the encounter, which started when around eight militants were trying to infiltrate along the LoC. Miltants reportedly opened fire and lobbed grenades on troops who retaliated. Three AK rifles, three magazines, 74 rounds, one radio set, two mobile phones, letter heads of HM outfit and some eatables were recovered from the encounter site. This was sixth infiltration attempt in last eight days from twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri.

October 13: A 'deputy divisional commander' of the HM identified as Irshad Ahmed Sheikh was shot dead by the Doda police and Army in a joint operation at Majmi forests in the Bhagwa area of Doda district. Recoveries made from the slain militant's possession include one AK-90 rifle, one magazine, one mobile telephone, five SIM cards and a large quantity of ammunition and explosive devices.

October 5: Two HM militants, including a Pakistani national, were shot dead by a joint force of the Army and Police during an encounter at village Khail in Chanunta area under Ramnagar tehsil (revenue division) of Udhampur district.

September 19: Two HM linkmen, Imtiyaz-ul-Rehman and Altaf Hussain Malik, were arrested from Pul Doda. They were brother of a Superintendent of Police, posted in CID, and his associate. Police recovered hawala money worth INR 1, 28, 000 from their possession

September 17: The Handwara police and troops of Rashtriya Rifles arrested a HM ‘district commander’ Ali Mohammad Mir alias Khadim alias Ali Mohammad Dar during joint search operation in the Rajpora forest area. One AK rifle, one hand grenade and 13 UBGL shells were recovered from his possession.

The Awantipore Police and troops of Rashtriya Rifles arrested five Over Ground Workers of the HM and JUM. Three hand grenades and letter heads of two militant outfits were recovered from them.

September 14: One ‘district commander’ of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), identified as Munir Pir alias Munawar, was shot dead by police and Army during an encounter at Gool in the Ramban district. While two militants managed to escape, one AK-47 rifle, three magazines, one hand grenade, one pouch and a radio set were recovered from the encounter site.

One HM militant, Shabir Ahmed Bhat, was arrested by the Doda district police during a search operation in the Thub area.

September 8: Two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants shot dead a civilian, identified as Mohd Iqbal, at his house at village Dedni Khabaran in Goha area of Doda district.

August 30: The troops rescued a teenage girl of Reasi, Zaroon Begum, from the captivity of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militants after about a month from Damhal Hanjipora in the Kulgam district. Two HM cadres, identified as Bashir Ahmed and Sharif Din, were arrested by the troops.

August 24: Elsewhere in the State, a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant, 'section commander' Ghulam Hussain alias Sohain, surrendered before the troops at Navapachi in the Kishtwar district. He handed over one AK rifle, one magazine and 20 rounds at the time of surrender.

August 17: The body of a HM militant was recovered from the Chontimula forest area in Bandipora district. The militant was identified as Liyat Khan alias Harris, a resident of Surender in Bandipora district, police sources said. One AK rifle, two magazines and 30 rounds were recovered from near the body.

August 16: Troops killed two HM militants in the Chatru area of Kishtwar district. The slain militants were identified as Imran alias Haris and Fareed Ahmed alias Jamsheed. Two AK rifles and 12 magazines were recovered from their possession.

August 15: SFs killed a top militant of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen outfit, identified as Shamas Din, in the Mahore area of Reasi district. Two hand grenades, one IED circuit, one solar charger, one binocular and one pouch were recovered from the incident site.

Another Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militant, Farooq Ahmed, is reported to have surrendered before the police in Doda district along with one SLR rifle, which he had looted from a police post in Gandoh in 2007.

August 7: A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militant, identified as Mohammed Iqbal Malik, surrendered before the security forces in Doda town. The Senior Superintendent of Police, Raghubir Singh, said Iqbal was operating along with other HM militants, including Tariq alias Idrees, Ghulam Nabi Gama and Zahoor-ud-Din.

July 24: In the Doda district, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants shot dead four members of the family of a surrendered militant. The Senior Superintendent of Police, Raghubir Singh, said the militants intruded into the house of Ghulam Hassan Wani, the surrendered militant, in Bari Marmat village, and opened indiscriminate firing on the inmates killing three persons on the spot and injuring two others. Among the dead were Ghulam Hassan Wani, his wife Azeema Begum, 13-year old daughter Ashiva Bano and nephew Tauseef. Wani surrendered in 2002 and was acting as an informer to the security forces. The militants pasted a poster outside the deceased's house asking the locals not to bury the bodies of the dead and warned of dire consequences if anybody did. However, under police cover, the bodies were later buried by the locals.

July 20: Troops killed a HM militant, identified as Abdur Rasheed alias Haroon, at Wudar Bala in Handwara.

July 19: Ten soldiers were killed and 18 more sustained injuries when militants destroyed a bus of the security forces in an IED blast at Narbal Crossing in the outskirts of capital Srinagar. A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) spokesman, Junaid-ul-Haq, contacted newspaper offices in Srinagar and claimed that militants of his organization had destroyed the Army vehicle, killing a number of soldiers.

July 15: The police in Bandipora district arrested a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) ‘commander’, identified as Ali Lone alias Azad. One AK-47 rifle, six AK rounds and one wireless set were recovered from his possession.

July 13: Police arrested Abdul Rasheed alias Mansoor-Ul-Haq, a HM militant, in the Rajouri district. An AK rifle along with some ammunition was recovered from his possession. Senior Superintendent of Police, Rajesh Yadav, told Daily Excelsior that Abdul Rasheed was a close associate of the UJC chief Syed Salahuddin.

July 11: SFs arrested Ali Mohammad Khan alias Showkat, a ‘district commander’ of the HM, after an encounter in the Handwara division of Kupwara district. One AK rifle, five magazines, 150 rounds of ammunition, four Chinese grenades, one pouch and one identity card was recovered from his possession. A ‘b’ category militant, Ali had crossed over to Pakistan occupied Kashmir in 2000 and returned after four years training.

July 6: Two HM militants, who were trapped in an encounter with the security forces, are reported to have escaped from the incident site while leaving a police constable injured in the Wachi area of Pulwama district.

June 19: A HM militant, identified as Sajjad Hussain, surrendered before the Army and police at Ekhla Dachan in the Kishtwar district. He was an active militant since 1994.

June 14: Two militants of HM’s Saquib Group, including one identified as Aiyaz Ahmad Shah alias Janbaz who had abducted and killed down two CRPF personnel last month, were killed during in an encounter at village Narpora in Kellar area in Shopian-Pulwama belt of South Kashmir. The other slain militant was identified as Bajeer Kalas. Two security force personnel including a constable and one Assistant Sub-Inspector sustained injuries.

Military Intelligence and BSF personnel arrested three HM militants soon after they infiltrated into Indian territory from across the border in Pakistan in Ramgarh sector of Samba district. Two Chinese made pistols, two Pakistan made pistols, 67 pistol rounds, five magazines and about 12,000 in Pakistani currency were recovered from them.

June 13: Five security personnel, including an Army officer, Lt. Col. K. Rajendra, his two personal security officers and two General Reserve Engineering Force personnel were shot dead by militants in an ambush at Watsar village near Sinthan in the Kishtwar district. Militants also decamped with two AK rifles from the incident site. Police suspected that the number of militants was between six to eight, with half of them being foreign mercenaries. The LeT reportedly has significant presence in the area.

June 10: A group of five militants of the HM led by ‘commander’ Ghulam Nabi War abducted a 42-year-old civilian Mir Aalam from his house, three kilometre from Kangan township on Srinagar-Leh highway and subsequently shot him dead.

June 9: The security forces foiled an attempt by some militants of the JeM, HuM and HM to indoctrinate and recruit five youth of Sopore area in the Baramulla District into jehad and other anti-national activities. The youths were likely to be sent to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir for acquiring arms and training in guerrilla warfare.

May 25: A HM militant, identified as Kafayat Ullah Tak, was killed in an encounter with the SFs at Bari under the jurisdiction of Assar police station in Doda district. However, his associate, identified as 'section commander' Abdul Qayoom Beig, managed to escape from the incident site in an injured condition, Senior Superintendent of Police Manohar Singh said. Sources said Kafayat Ullah Tak was an 'A' category militant and was instrumental in inducting a number of local youths into militancy and sending them to Pakistan for arms training.

May 18: Police arrested a ‘battalion commander’ of the HM, Shaheen Ahmad Malik alias Sajad alias Usman, after an encounter at village Chak Sanzipora in the Handwara district. One AK 47 rifle, three magazines, 43 rounds of ammunition, two UBGL grenades and one Chinese grenade were recovered from his possession.

Troops arrested an over-ground worker of the HM, identified as Mudasir Ahmad Mir, from Shopian in the Pulwama district. He is reportedly a close associate of Shabir Ahmad Mir a.k.a. Shaheedul Islam, a district commander of the HM.

May 16: Police arrested a woman militant of the HM outfit, identified as Raja Begum, from the premises of a court in the Gool area of Ramban district. She was reportedly evading arrest for last eight months after the surrender of her militant husband Manzoor Ahmed alias Furqan. The woman was allegedly involved in several subversive activities along with her husband including the kidnapping and torture of three local boys for forcing them to join the HM fold.

May 15: The Doda district police arrested eight persons, including two SPOs, for their links with militants of the LeT and HM outfits. Both the SPOs were posted in the Gandoh area and they reportedly used to leak vital police information to the militants, sources said.

May 13: Security forces arrested a HM militant, identified as Mohammed Shaffi, from Manjoos Khari in the Ramban district. 9.5 kg RDX and six UBGL grenades were recovered from his possession.

May 9: Police arrested two HM militants, Saleem Sheikh and Abdul Hamid War, at Handwara in the Kupwara district. One AK rifle, two magazines, one grenade, wireless set and 49 rounds of ammunition were recovered from their possession.

May 3: A group of three HM militants abducted two civilians, Bashir Ahmed, a PHE employee and Imtiyaz Ahmed, a surrendered militant, from their houses at village Kuchaal in the Kishtwar district and subsequently killed them.

April 30: A HM militant, Aijaz Ahmad Malik alias Younis, was arrested during a search operation at Sheikh Dawood Colony in the Batmaloo area of capital Srinagar. An AK-47 rifle and 27 rounds of ammunition were recovered from Malik, a resident of Dalipora village in the Pulwama district. His associate Muzaffar Ahmad Dar alias Ali Ganai, a resident of Chiloora-Pattan, escaped during the operation.

Troops arrested another HM militant, Javid Ahmad Bhat, from Pringroo village in the Kupwara district. Bhat was a close associate of Mushtaq Ahmad Malla alias Furqan, a Hizb ‘district commander’, who was arrested recently. A pistol, six rounds of ammunition and a radio set were recovered from Javid’s house.

April 28: Two local militants of the HM, one of whom was the outfit’s financial chief, were killed in an encounter with the SFs in the Pattan area of Baramulla district. The slain militants were identified as Zahoor Ahmad Waza alias Zee Shan, financial chief of the HM of Palhalan and Mohammad Yousuf Bhat alias Muneer. Police sources said the house in which the militants were hiding was damaged.

An HM cadre, identified as Bashir Ahmed Gujjar, was arrested from a hideout in the Breswana forests under the jurisdiction of Doda police station along with one Chinese pistol, five rounds and two shells of Under Barrel Grenade Launcher.

April 25: Two militants of the HM outfit were killed by the security forces in an encounter at village Banj in the Ramban district. They were identified as Mushtaq Ahmed (code name Babar), a resident of Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir, and Abu Hazla, a Pakistani national.

April 24: Following a six-hour long encounter, two HM militants were killed at Zachaldara in the Handwara area of Kupwara district. They were identified as Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Bhat alias Sajjad and Mohammad Ramzan Rishi alias Nazir.

The Special Operations Group of Kulgam District Police arrested a top HM commander, identified as Sonaullah Sheikh alias Kafeel from an annexe of a mosque at Kursoo in the Rajbagh area of state capital Srinagar.

Superintendent of Police Handwara, Dr Haseeb Mughal, said that with the arrest of Kafeel in Srinagar and killing of two militants in Handwara, the HM has no listed militant in the Handwara area. He, however, added that about 30 militants of LeT and JeM were still active in Handwara-Kandi belt of Kupwara district.

April 23: Two HM ‘commanders’ in north Kashmir -Tanvir Ahmed Zargar and Imtiyaz Ahmed Khan – were killed by the SFs in a 12-hour-long gun-battle in the outskirts of Baramulla town. A constable of the Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police, Mushtaq Ahmed Fafoo, and a civilian, Ghulam Qadir Mir, were wounded in the incident. Tanvir Ahmed Zargar alias Tanna Khan had been functioning as ‘district commander’ since 2004 while Imtiyaz was described as a ‘battalion commander.’ The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Dr B. Srinivas, said that Tanvir and Imtiyaz were the last two listed and identified commanders of the HM. He claimed that Baramulla town was now free of militants. He said that as many as 20 senior militant functionaries and commanders had been neutralized in north Kashmir in the last four months.

The Reasi district police killed a ‘battalion commander’ and ‘financial chief" of the HM outfit, identified as Abdul Haq alias Jahangir, in an encounter at village Kallian. Senior Superintendent of Police, J. L. Sharma, stated that he was the longest surviving militant in Reasi district and was operating since 1993.

April 21: An ‘area commander’ of the HM outfit, Ghulam Qadir alias Abdullah, surrendered before the police in Doda. Twelve militants have reportedly surrendered in the last two months in this area, which was once considered as stronghold of militants. Qadir handed over an AK47 riffle, nine magazines, 90 rounds, one binocular, one wireless set and other materials to the police.

April 20: Senior Superintendent of Police (Kulgam), S. P. Pani, said that commander Sabzar Ahmad Waza alias Basharat, a top HM militant, was arrested while trying to flee from the Kashmir Valley. Waza, who had crossed over to the Pakistani side in 1992 and returned to the Valley in 2000 after receiving training in Pakistan, was wanted in connection with a large number of militancy related incidents. On his disclosure, an AK assault rifle, a sniper rifle and a pistol were recovered from a hideout in the Kulgam district.

A HM militant, identified as Ghulam Qadir, surrendered before the Deputy Inspector General of Police (Doda range), Hemant Kumar Lohia, in Doda. Abdullah was ‘A’ category militant and was presently working as ‘section commander’ of the outfit.

April 15: A group of seven HM militants abducted a civilian, Abid Hussain, from his house in the Darhal area of Rajouri district after accusing him of being an informer for the security forces. The militants assaulted Hussain and later left him in an injured condition at a surrounding field.

April 13: Police arrested a top HM militant, who was a close associate of the recently slain ‘divisional commander’ of the outfit, Shamim Thool, from village Challer under the jurisdiction of Gandoh police station in Doda district. The arrested militant has been identified as Mohammed Ismayil (code name Qari Usmaan), a resident of Manothal Patnazi in the Kishtwar district. One Chinese pistol with one loaded magazine, eight rounds and one walkie-talkie set were recovered from his possession.

April 10: SFs arrested a HM militant, identified as Mansoor Ahmed, from village Naiyun in the Srinagar district. Mansoor had reportedly joined the outfit in June 2001.

April 9: The SFs killed four militants of the HM outfit in an encounter in the Ghulabgarh area of Reasi district. The Reasi Police and Rashtriya Rifles launched a joint search operation in the remote area of Mahore and in the ensuing two-hour long encounter, four militants were killed. The slain militants were identified as ‘area commander’ Mohammed Shafi alias Badshah Khan a.k.a. Gazi, Mohammed Rafiq alias Basharat, Talib Hussain and Munabar, all from the HM outfit.

The Doda Police killed a militant, identified as Javed Iqbal Bhat, near Gandoh. The slain militant was reportedly accompanying ‘divisional commander’ of HM, Ghulam Hassan Thool, who was killed by the security forces on April 8-morning.

April 8: Two militants of the HM outfit, including a ‘divisional commander’, were killed by police during two separate encounters in the Doda and Kishtwar districts. Besides arms and ammunition, a fake identity card carrying signatures of Executive Magistrate Ist Class, Kishtwar, was also recovered from the ‘divisional commander’. The slain militants were identified as Ghulam Hussain Wani (code name Shameem Thool) alias Shameem Shahid, a ‘divisional commander’ of the outfit, and Mohammed Iqbal alias Haq Nawaz.

April 3: The Handwara Police arrested Junaid-ul-Islam, the Kashmir-based spokesman of HM, from the neighbourhood of Jammu and Kashmir Police headquarters in the Karan Nagar area of capital Srinagar. The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Dr B Srinivas, informed a press conference that Handwara Police conducted a raid in Srinagar and arrested HM ‘chief spokesman’ Abdul Khaliq Dar a.k.a. Junaid-ul-Islam a.k.a. Khalil-ur-Rehman a.k.a. Fazal-ur-Rehman early in the morning. According to Police records, Junaid-ul-Islam had crossed the Line of Control in 1990 to undergo training in guerrilla warfare at a HM camp in the PoK. He underwent training and later also handled training camps for fresh recruits and trainee HM militants. He was an ideologue and was also known for writing articles and his reactions to the articles of other authors in local newspapers, particularly in the Urdu weekly Chattan.

April 2: Inspector General of Police (Kashmir Zone), S. M. Sahai, informed the media in Handwara that Police had arrested four top wanted militants of the HM. He said that ‘district commander’ Mushtaq Ahmed Malla alias Furqan was arrested over a specific information. Malla had reportedly been operating as a militant since 1990. His sustained interrogation led to the subsequent arrest of his successor ‘district commander’ Mudassar Shabir Ganai alias Ali alias Illyas, his close associate and HM ‘Financial Chief-cum-Launching Commander’ Nisar Abdullah Malik and ‘area commander’ Pervez Ahmed Wani alias Mubashir alias Saifullah.

SFs killed two militants of the JeM outfit, identified as Abu Hussain alias Saifullah and Abu Omar, both Pakistani nationals, during an operation at Arin Dardpora in the Bandipora district.

April 1: Four persons, including two top commanders of the HM and an Army soldier, were killed at Dudu Mirhama in the Anantnag district. Senior SSP, Nitish Kumar, said the slain commanders were identified as ‘divisional commander’ Aslam Khan alias Zia-ur-Rehman and ‘district commander’ Javaid Ahmad Lone alias Nazar. In the encounter, Vijay Kumar of the Rashtriya Rifles and owner of the house, where the militants were hiding, Abdul Rashid Khan, were also killed, the SSP said, adding that Abdul Rashid Khan was an over-ground worker of the HM.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP) are reported to have neutralized a militant module and arrested three militants identified as Peer Mohammed Ashraf of the Al Badr, Gowhar Hussain Gani and Saleem Yousuf Gani alias Faisal, both from the HM outfit. A JKP spokesman said that on further investigation, three more Over Ground Workers of the HM outfit were arrested. They were identified as Ajaz Ahmad Pal, Hayatullah Bhat and Muhammad Amin Bhat. One AK 47, three magazines and 59 AK rounds were recovered from their possession.

March 31: Police in the capital Srinagar arrested the Pulwama district ‘commander’ of the HM, Rayees Kachru, who had allegedly killed as many as 28 soldiers and civilians in the last seven years. Inspector General of Police (Kashmir Zone), Shiv Murari Sahai, disclosed at a press conference that Police had arrested one of the top wanted commanders and IED experts of the HM, Rayees Ahmad Dar alias Rayees Kachru, from his hideout in Srinagar early in the morning. Subsequent interrogation led to the recovery of three Universal Machine Guns, one Sniper rifle, one AK 47 rifle, 4000 rounds of assorted ammunition, three pistols, three wireless sets, two rocket launcher shells, four shells, one hand grenade, three rifle grenades besides two canes of liquid explosive containing around 60 litres of explosives and one IED weighing 25 Kgs from the Pulwama district. In a statement, the Hizb spokesman Mir Khalil-ur-Rehman confirmed Kachru's arrest but insisted that he was an ordinary member of his organization and not a commander.

March 30: Security forces arrested two HM militants from Gandbal in the Kulgam district.

Two HM militants, Farooq Ahmed and Mohammed Iqbal, surrendered before the SFs in the Gandoh area of Kishtwar district. They handed over one INSAS rifle with magazines and ammunition, one wireless set, SLR and LMG magazines, grenades and some documents.

March 25: Bahar Din alias Zulfa, an ‘area commander’ of the HM outfit, was shot dead by the SFs in an encounter at village Moori in the Mahore area of Reasi district. He was operating in the Gool-Gulabgarh-Mahore belt for more than a decade.

A HM cadre, identified as Iqbal Chechi, surrendered before the SFs at Ganderbal. He also deposited one AK rifle, three AK magazines and 80 rounds of ammunition.

March 21: A 23-year-old youth, identified as Mohd Shaffi, was kidnapped from his house at village Bakhna in the Doda district and subsequently gunned down by suspected HM militants.

March 20: Muneer Ahmed Lali, a ‘battalion commander’ of the HM, was killed by the security forces at village Bazipora Ajas in the Bandipora district

March 19: One person was killed and 16 sustained injuries when the HM attempted to blow up a part of the only flyover in the capital Srinagar with an IED blast. Officials said that a suspect, who was reportedly a student from the nearly Maisuma locality, had been detained for questioning.

The HM chief and chairman of the United Jihad Council (UJC), Syed Salahuddin, has said Pakistan could not stop supporting the Kashmiri militant groups. He admitted that Pakistan has continuously been providing both military as well as political support to the Kashmiri militants.

March 18: Security forces shot dead Jehangir Ahmed Bhat alias Chhota Jehangir, the HM’s Anantnag ‘District Commander’, in a joint operation at Dogripora in the Awantipore area of Pulwama district

March 9: Mohammed Qasim alias Babbar, a HM ‘commander’ involved in a series of killings and other subversive activity, was killed by the SFs during an encounter at Chatroo in the Kishtwar district. However, his bodyguard managed to escape from the incident site.

Two HM commanders, identified as ‘district commander’ Mumtaz Ahmed alias Tahir Siddiqui and ‘battalion commander’ Anzar Ahmed alias Arslan, surrendered before the SFs at Reasi along with a large quantity of arms and ammunition. During their preliminary questioning, the militants have disclosed that the HM was facing shortage of manpower and weaponry in the upper reaches of Mahore, Arnas and Gulabgarh.

Police arrested a ‘district commander’ of the HM, Mushtaq Ahmad Malla alias Furqan, at village Maratgam in the Kupwara district.

The SFs arrested Gulzar Ahmed Dar, an Over Ground Worker of the HM outfit, in Anantnag district.

February 29: SFs killed four HM militants in an encounter at Saidpora in the Shopian district. SFs launched a cordon-and-search operation in an open orchard area at Saidpora over specific information that four HM militants were hiding at the house of one Mohammad Shaban Sheikh. In the ensuing encounter, the militants, identified as Sayyar Ahmed Thokar and Riyaz Ahmed Thokar alias Abu Jihad, Sayyar Ahmed Bhat and Mohammad Iqbal, were killed.

February 24: A Pakistan-trained militant of the HM, Javid Ahmad Sheikh alias Rizwan, was arrested at Pulwama. Two hand grenades were recovered from his possession.

February 15: Baramulla Police arrested a militant of the HM, Manzoor Ahmad Dar a.k.a. Khalid, who was active in the Kreeri, Pattan and Sangrama areas for the last six years. One AK 56 rifle, two AK magazines and 40 rounds of AK ammunition were recovered from his possession. He was reportedly working under the command of 'district commander' of the outfit Tanveer Ahmed Zargar.

February 12: Police arrested five HM militants, Abdul Qayoom Bhat alias Kelli, Nazir Ahmad Rather alias Afridi, Fayaz Ahmad Sheikh, Sharief-ud-Din Wani and Feroz Ahmad Dar from Pampore.

February 11: Two HM militants, including a self-styled commander of the outfit, were killed in a gun-battle with the SFs in the Pattan area of Baramulla district. The slain militants were identified as 'district commander' Zahoor Ahmad Ganai a.k.a. Firdous and Nazir Ahmed Parry.

February 10: Hanief Khan, a 'Divisional Commander' of the HM, was among the two militants killed in a gun-battle with the SFs in the Noorpora village of Pulwama district. His accomplice was identified as Javed Ahmad Malik alias Mussaub-ul-Islam. Deputy Inspector General of Police (South Kashmir), Hemant Kumar Lohia, said that Hanief Khan was 'Divisional Commander' in south Kashmir and he was simultaneously operating as the organisation's 'Financial Chief' in Jammu and Kashmir. According to officials, Khan was involved in about 20 killings since 1990. According to a statement from the Hizb spokesman, Ehsan Illahi, HM chief Syed Salahuddin has immediately appointed Gazi Rafi-ud-din as the organisation's new 'Divisional Commander' for south Kashmir.

February 1: One 'battalion commander' of the HM outfit, identified as Rahool Bhat, was shot dead by police personnel during another encounter at Tangbal under Yaripora police station in the Kulgam district.

January 30: With the killing of four militants of HM, including a 'District Commander', senior officials of Jammu and Kashmir declared the Kulgam district of south Kashmir as a "militancy-free zone". Inspector General of Police (Kashmir Zone), Shiv Morari Sahai, held a press conference at Bijbehara to declare the Kulgam-Arwani belt as a militancy-free area. He said that the security forces had laid siege to a cluster of residential houses at Batpora, near Arwani, and began search for a group of militants hiding in the locality. Four Kashmiri militants of the HM group were hiding at the house of one Mohammad Maqbool Malik. In the ensuing encounter, all the four holed up militants, identified as 'district commander' Sajjad Ahmed Bhat alias Tahir Maqsood, Firdaus Ahmed Wani alias Naseer, Javed Ahmed alias Weqas and Farooq Ahmed War alias Huzaib, were killed. Two AK-56 rifles were recovered from the incident site.

January 24: A HM militant was arrested by the SOG of Jammu Police from a rented house at Dogra Hall in Jammu city. He was working as a Supervisor with a Chandigarh-based English newspaper to hide his credentials. The militant was identified as Riyaz Ahmed Shah alias Raja, a resident of Shangran in the Anantnag district. Preliminary investigations revealed that Raja, a ‘B’ category militant, was involved in the killing of a civilian Jabbar Khanday in 2005 under the jurisdiction of Dooru police station.

January 22: Apprehending a crackdown 20 years after he sneaked into Pakistan, the HM ‘commander-in-chief’, Syed Salahuddin, said that authorities in Islamabad cannot arrest him. "Pakistan cannot arrest me. I live on my own soil," said the United Jihad Council (UGC) chief in an interview posted on the Pakistan occupied Kashmir Website. Salahuddin, who ex-filtrated to Pakistan 20 years ago after his defeat in elections to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in 1987, did not give reasons why he apprehended his arrest. "We are not terrorists according to United Nations law," UJC leader claimed.

January 7: A HM militant, identified as Tariq Hussain alias Umer, surrendered before the security forces at Gandoh in the Doda district. He also handed over one Self Loading Rifle, three rounds and one magazine at the time of surrender.

January 6: Police claimed to have arrested a militant of the HM group from Kumili in the Idukki district of Kerala. Altaf Ahammed, a 29-year old native of Jammu and Kashmir, was involved in various crimes against the government, said Assistant Superintendent of Police Vikramjith Singh. Altaf was arrested following information from the Jammu and Kashmir Police. He had reportedly applied for a passport in Idukki and the Kerala Police had sent his documents to their counterparts in Jammu and Kashmir for verification when his identity came to light, police said adding the accused got training from Pakistan.

January 5: SFs arrested a HM militant Javid Ahmad at Chandkote in Baramulla along with one AK rifle, three magazines, 88 rounds of ammunition and one pouch.

January 1: Security forces arrested a HM militant, identified as Irshad Ahmed alias Adil, from Lancha Budhan in the Gool area of Ramban district. One Chinese hand grenade was recovered from his possession.

2007

December 30: A HM militant, identified as Iqbal Dar, was arrested by police and troops of Rashtriya Rifles (49 Battalion) in a joint operation from village Panzath under Qazigund police station in the Anantnag district.

December 25: A fake currency racket, being operated from across LoC for funding militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and headed by a former legislator, was detected by the security agencies with the arrest of the former legislator’s son and recovery of fake currency worth INR 45,000 from him. Police have reportedly pursuing a hunt for the former Member of Legislative Council of Kupwara, Mohammed Abdullah Bhat and his two Anantnag-based associates, who were in possession of fake currency worth lakhs, which had been supplied to them from other side of the border for funding militancy, official sources said. The fake currency network was being used primarily to finance the HM network.

December 24: The police rescued all the five civilians held captive by militants inside a mosque in the Kulgam district and killed all the three militants, ending the 24-hour hostage crisis. The security force personnel lobbed tear gas shells, forcing the three militants to come out. They then engaged the captors in a gun battle in which two militants were killed, police sources said. Another militant fled and took shelter in one of the minarets of the mosque and engaged the police in an encounter for nearly an hour, after which he too was killed. The Deputy Inspector General of Police, H.K. Lohia, said that all the five hostages were unharmed and the mosque suffered no damage in the gun battle.

December 23: Twelve HM militants surrendered before the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad at Ramban on December 23. They were identified as Manzoor Ahmad a.k.a. Furkaan Ali (Divisional Commander), Mumtaz Ali a.k.a. Asif Rahi (District Commander), Abu Qayoom a.k.a. Imran Khan (Deputy District Commander), Feroz Din Malik a.k.a. Gazeen Nasrula (Battalion Commander), Abdul Latif a.k.a. Javed Iqbal (Deputy Battalion Commander), Shakeel Ahmad Gujar a.k.a. Danish Iqbal (Section Group Commander), Ghulam Hassan a.k.a. Kamran Akmal (Operation Commander), Shah Nwaz a.k.a. Shafu Rohman (Operation Commander), Mohammed Rafi a.k.a. Zaffar (Operation Commander), Bashir Ahmad Gujar a.k.a. Berkat, Abu Latif Taidwa a.k.a. Zuabiruelha and Riyaz Ahmed Kholi a.k.a. Sajad.

December 19: The HM announced a complete ban on militant grenade attacks in public places. "There is a complete ban on grenade attacks by Hizbul and other outfits," HM operations chief Ghazi Misbahuddin said in a statement. The group said such attacks were banned because "the movement is passing through a crucial phase and we need the utmost caution."

December 15: Syed Salahuddin, chairman of the United Jihad Council (UJC) and 'supreme commander' of the HM, said that the militant leadership is ready to support the Irish peace model as a first step towards the solution of Kashmir issue, provided Government of India accepts the disputed status of Kashmir issue. He rejected the four point formula of Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf saying it has created doubts in the minds of people since the formula has not been explained. He denied that there was any pressure on militant groups from Pakistan and added that militancy is more effective and self reliant at this time. "Whosoever comes into power in Pakistan, they can not stop the struggle in Kashmir. Our struggle is not for the freedom of Pakistan but for the survival of Kashmiris," he claimed. Salahuddin opined that the ongoing movement would continue even if Pakistan stops supporting it.

December 12: A Kashmiri militant of the HM, identified as Mohammad Arif, was killed in an encounter with the Army in the Kokernag area of Anantnag district.

December 5: Police arrested the HM 'divisional commander' for central Kashmir, Tajamul Islam, from a hideout in the Sopore town of Baramulla district.

December 4: Nasir Ahmad Bhat, the head of the HM’s operations in Jammu and Kashmir, was arrested in a raid near Pulwama. A resident of the village Arwani in the southern Kashmir district of Anantnag, Bhat is the senior-most HM ‘commander’ to have ever been arrested. Bhat’s arrest, police sources said, has retarded the group’s plans to sabotage State elections scheduled to be held next summer. Operating under the direct command of the HM’s Rawalpindi-based chief, Mohammad Yusuf Shah a.k.a. Syed Salahuddin, Bhat had the overall responsibility of its operations within Jammu and Kashmir. Over the past three years, he is believed to have directed a string of bombings and shootouts which claimed several hundred lives. Bhat - who used the codename ‘Ghazi Misbahuddin’ - had been despatched to rebuild the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen after it lost a series of top commanders to Indian counter-terrorism operations in 2003-2004.

December 2: The Special Operations Group of Jammu Police arrested a top HM militant from a bus in Nagrota along with arms, ammunition, two identity cards and a mobile telephone. Mohammed Hayat Bhoru (code Danish), who had undergone training in different camps in Pakistan occupied Kashmir for five and a half years, was en route to Jammu city to create a safe hideout for HM 'divisional commander' Maqsood Bhat, presently operating in the Neel area of Banihal, who had been directed by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence to carry out a major terrorist attack in Jammu city. November 29: Troops of the Rashtriya Rifles (44 Battalion) arrested an over-ground worker of the HM, Shabbir Ahmed Kalas, from Dunaru in the Pulwama district.

November 27: One Over Ground Worker of the HM outfit, Mohi-ud-Din Bhat, was arrested by police in the Handwara area of Kupwara district.

November 26: A 'company commander' of the HM, Tariq Ahmed Ahangar alias Anees-ul-Islam, was killed by the SFs in the Tral area of Pulwama district. Tariq Ahmed Ahangar had taken over as HM ‘company commander’ after ‘commander’ Illyas died in an encounter with the Army at Pampore in July 2007. Tariq had gone across to Pakistan for arms training in 1998 and had returned back in December 2006. HM spokesman Junaid-ul-Islam confirmed to the media that Tariq had been shot dead in an ambush by the Army.

A young girl, Shakeela Bano, was reported to have escaped with a HM ‘commander’, Mohammed Iqbal alias Shah Nawaz, in the Dehrot area of Doda district.

November 23: An ‘area commander’ of the HM, identified as Mohammed Mansha alias Muddassir Iqbal, surrendered before security forces in Reasi along with arms and ammunition.

November 22: One HM militant, Noor Hussain Kataria alias Shabnam, surrendered with his arms before Lieutenant General A. S. Sekhon, the GoC 15 Corps along with five five Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami militants.

November 21: The police recovered INR 14 lakh hawala money from a Tral resident at Jehangir Chowk in the capital Srinagar. Sub-Inspector of Police, Aijaz Ahmed, said "The money was meant for the Hizbul Mujahideen militants."

November 19: Tariq Ahmed Lone alias Gowhar, ‘district commander’ of the HM, was arrested when police raided the house of one Nazir Ahmed Bhat at Nanil in the Anantnag district.

November 15: A HM militant, identified as Mohammad Ayoob Dar alias Baadshah Khan, was arrested during a search operation at Ichhgooza in the Pulwama district.

A HM militant, Fareed Ahmed, surrendered before the SFs at Chajroo in the Mahore area of Reasi district.

November 4: At Balana village in Sigri Bhatta area under the jurisdiction of Chatru police station of Kishtwar district, two HM militants including a commander of the outfit were killed after six hour long exchange of fire. The killed militants were identified as Babbar and Abdul Qayoom alias Gazali.

November 3: Two HM militants and a woman were killed in an encounter in Kashmir valley in the Neilpakipora area of Pattan in Baramulla district. A security force personnel was injured in the attack.

Two OGWs of the HM outfit were arrested in Hajan area of Bandipora district. Police sources said that both were assisting the militants by procuring mobile SIM cards of them and also by providing them shelter.

Security forces arrested two other HM OGWs at Paybugh in Mattan area of Anantnag district and seized two hand grenades from their possession.

October 31: Moulvi Fayyaz Ahmed alias Alfa 3, a ‘district commander’ of the HM, his unidentified associate and a Special Police Officer, Shamas Din, were killed in an encounter between militants and SF personnel at Malikpura in the Chatru area of Kishtwar district . Sources said Moulvi Fayyaz Ahmed was among the longest surviving militants in the Kishtwar and Doda districts. He was reportedly active in militancy since 1992 and was involved in a series of subversive activities including killing, kidnappings and extortions. He was also instrumental in recruiting several local youths into HM.

October 30: A HM militant, identified as Hashim Ali, who was allegedly involved in an attack on Congress party Member of Parliament, Choudhary Lal Singh, and his convoy in the Doda district during 2004, surrendered before the SFs in Kishtwar district.

October 29: SFs killed two HM militants near the Chatroo area of Kishtwar district. The slain militants were identified as Mohammed Ashraf and Zafar Hussain.

Khalid alias Junaid, a HM militant, who was in contact with police in Pakistan since 2004, finally succeeded in crossing the LoC and surrendered before security forces in the Reasi district Official sources said the US Cellular services mobile telephone found in possession of Khalid had range in the entire Pir Panjal range from where the militants, including three foreign mercenaries, who were in Khalid's group, used to talk to their Pakistani handlers and family members.

October 23: Police arrested four over ground workers of the HM outfit from Ganderbal. They were identified as Manzoor Ahmed Khan, Younus Baniya, Mohamed Iqbal Baniya and Forest Guard Ghulam Mohammad Baniya.

October 22: Two HM militants, Manzoor Ahmad Wani alias Tariq and Manzoor Ahmad Lone alias Kashif alias Doctor, were arrested from Natipora in the capital Srinagar.

Abdul Majeed Dar alias Bhambar Khan, a released Pakistan trained militant of the HM, was arrested from Chogal in the Kupwara district.

October 19: A militant of the HM, identified as Irshad Ahmad Dar alias Tauseef, was killed in an encounter with the SFs at Chak-e-Churat Ram in the Pattan-Tangmarg belt of Baramulla district.

Police arrested two HM militants, identified as Ismayil and Ashraf, along with a consignment of mobile telephones and Hawala money from Bara Kund in the Ramban district. This was third Hawala consignment seized by police on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in less than a week with a total haul nearing INR 8 lakh.

October 16: The CRPF personnel arrested a HM militant, identified as Irshad Ahmed, during a search operation from the Nawa Bazar area in capital Srinagar.

October 11: Five soldiers and two civilians were killed and six soldiers sustained injuries in an IED blast carried out by the militants at Hamray in the Pattan area of Baramulla district. Deputy Inspector General of Police (north Kashmir), B. Srinivas, said that the militants had planted a powerful IED inside a LPG cylinder and managed to carry it inside the military camp with a number of refills. They reportedly triggered off the bomb with a remote control device or a mobile phone. A purported HM spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack.

October 10: Two HM militants were killed by the police during an encounter at Sugan village in the Pulwama district.

Security forces arrested a top militant of the HM outfit, Manzoor Ahmed Mir, aboard a bus at Jhajjar Kotli Bridge in Jammu and recovered INR 2.5 lakh worth Hawala money from his possession. Police interrogation has revealed that Manzoor was an active militant of the HM since 2004.

October 9: Top HM militant Latief Ahmad Ganai alias Furkaan and his close associate Rafiq Ahmad Shah were killed in an encounter with a joint search party of Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group personnel at Wagub-Sopore village in the Baramulla district. A police man was injured in the encounter. Latief had reportedly crossed over to Pakistan for arms training in 1999 and had returned in June 2007.

October 8: Two militants of the HM, identified as Sartaj Ahmad Shaksaz alias Tabraez and Ashiq Ahmad Padru alias Janbaaz. Sartaj, died in an encounter with the troops in the Mahipora village of Kulgam district.

Police in Jammu city arrested another law student who was working for the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen outfit and was involved in several subversive activities. Zahid Bhatti, who was studying Law in Dogra Law College, was part of a wide network of the HM which the outfit had managed to create in Jammu. Bhatti is the second law student of Dogra Law College to be arrested for links with the HM. On September 7, police had detained a third year Law student of the same college, Nahida Altaf, a resident of Poonch district, when she was smuggling a grenade launcher, grenades and ammunition in a car driven by her father, a police head constable from Surankote to Jammu. Nahida's father and mother, an officer with the Education Department, were released by the police as it was established during investigations that Nahida had joined the HM on her own.

The UJC chief Syed Salahuddin has announced a unilateral cease-fire for three days from October 12 to 14 on the occasion of Ramadan. A news agency quoting spokesman of the Pakistan-based UJC, Syed Sadaqat Hussain, said the decision was taken at a meeting presided over by Syed Salahuddin, who also heads the HM. The meeting decided there would be complete cease-fire for three days on the part of all militant groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir, the spokesman said.

October 4: SFs arrested a HM militant, identified as Muzaib Ahmed Lone, at Chitti Bandi in the Baramulla district.

October 1: Doda police arrested three fresh recruits of the LeT outfit from Doda. These youths had been lured into militancy by a local LeT activist, Bashir Ahmed Ganaie. Police also arrested four motivators of militants from Doda. They were motivating youths to join LeT and HM outfits. Police also rescued eight youths from captivity of the militants.

September 30: A HM militant, identified as Mohammed Farooq, surrendered in the Darhal area of Rajouri district. He was reported to have joined militancy and also operated in Mumbai for sometime.

September 29: Security forces sealed a mosque in Tujan village in Budgam district, after two HM militants took shelter inside it in their bid to escape arrest, and subsequently killed the two holed up militants. The slain militants were identified as Khursheed Ahmed Rather alias Zubair and Nazir Ahmed Dar alias Faisal alias Irfan. A trooper was wounded in the operation.

September 27: A HM militant, Anayatullah, surrendered before the SFs in Doda. So far 28 militants, including top commanders of various militant outfits, have surrendered in the Doda district in 2007.

September 26: SF personnel killed two HM militants, 'divisional commander' Mohammed Shafi alias Nasir-ul-Islam alias Delta One and 'district commander' Javed Iqbal alias Umar Gazi, at village Ghat under the jurisdiction of Doda police station in the Doda district.

September 20: One HM cadre, Mohammad Ramzan Bhat, was arrested by SF personnel during a search operation at Rajwar in the Kupwara district. Bhat confessed that the HM outfit was planning to fire rockets towards SF and police camps in Handwara area.

September 18: Three HM cadres, identified as Farooq Ahmed Khan Piswal alias Akram, Shahjahan Khan alias Waqas and Mushtaq Ahmed Khan alias Janbaz were killed by SFs in the Kudara forest area of Bandipore in the Baramulla district.

Troops arrested one HM militant, Gulzar Ahmed, from Kulshan area in the Chatroo belt of Kishtwar district along with one grenade and some rounds. He was reportedly active since 2004.

September 17: Two terrorists, identified as Irshad Ahmed Lone alias Khursheed alias Bilal and Tariq Ahmed Shah, were arrested at Nutnusa along Sopore-Kupwara road in the Kupwara district. Irshad was reportedly the 'district commander' of the HM.

September 14: A 'battalion commander' of the HM, identified as Meraj-ud-din Sofi alias Rizwan, reportedly surrendered before Bandipore police. Officials, however, claimed that Rizwan was arrested by the police and army in a joint operation. They said that he had recently returned after staying at a guerrilla training camp for two years.

September 8: One ‘deputy district commander’ of the HM, identified as Irfan Dar, was killed in an encounter with the troops at Shali Nullah in the Doda district.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested a woman acting as an arms courier for the HM. The Inspector General Police Sheesh Pal Vaid talking to reporters in Jammu said, "We have arrested a girl student of a local Law College, Nahida Altaf, on a tip-off, at Tanda in Akhnoor, 30 km from here. An under barrel grenade launcher and eight grenades were recovered from a car in which she and her parents were coming to Jammu from Poonch." During questioning, Nahida, daughter of policeman Altaf Hussain of Surankote in the Poonch district, said she was given the consignment by Altaf Ahmad and that she was to pass it on to Fayaz Ahmad Talak of Anantnag, the police officer said. Her family had no knowledge about the presence of arms and ammunition in the car.

September 7: A HM militant, identified as Abu Magaaz, was shot dead and another injured by security force personnel in an encounter at Haryana Top in the Sangiot area of Poonch district.

September 1: An activist of the HM, Nasir Ahmed, was arrested by SFs from the Mahore area of Udhampur district.

August 31: Unidentified militants shot dead a retired Superintendent of Police, Mohammad Amin Khan, and wounded his unarmed security escort in close vicinity of his residence at Babagund village in the Pattan area of Baramulla district. The HM has reportedly claimed responsibility of Khan's killing with the allegation that he had worked with the counter-insurgent Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police.

August 30: Personnel of the Srinagar Police with the assistance of Baramulla Police arrested two top ‘commanders’ of the HM outfit, identified as Nazir Ahmed Pathan and Mohammed Shafi Kasana. They were reportedly active in the Gool area of Jammu division since the last 10 years and had recently shifted their base to Kashmir and were planning to step up subversive activities in Kashmir valley.

Two more HM militants, identified as Javaid Ahmed Mir and Shakeel Ahmed Mir, were arrested from the Rajwar area in Handwara.

August 29: Abdul Rashid alias Jahangir, a ‘deputy district commander’, and Bashir Ahmed alias Billal, a ‘section commander’, of the HM outfit surrendered before the SFs at Doda. Jahangir was an ‘A’ category Pakistan-trained militant and was active in militancy since 1996 while Billal was trained in Kashmir and was operating in Doda since 1998. With this, a total of eight militants have surrendered in Doda district this month. They include five from the HM and three from the LeT.

August 28: A school teacher, Mohammad Yousuf Kallas, was abducted and subsequently killed by terrorists in the Pulwama district. A letter from the HM outfit was recovered from his pocket.

August 27: Troops arrested Rafiq Ahmed alias Furkan, a HM 'section commander,' from Kuntwara in the Kishtwar district.

August 26: The HM 'operations commander' for Ramban, Ijaz Ahmed Chopan, was shot dead by the security forces at Bhimdassa in the Ramban district. Chopan was a hardcore militant operating in the Gool-Gulabgarh-Mahore area for the last six to seven years was an IED expert.

August 19: An "A" category ‘commander’ of the (HM, Fayaz alias Zubair, was killed in an encounter with the police at Bijbehara in the Anantnag district. Another militant, identified as Fayaz Ahmad alias Jamsheed, was arrested.

Police arrested a HM militant, Altaf Ahmad Dar alias Kachroo, from Redwani-Rampora road in the Kulgam district after a brief encounter.

August 13: A HM militant, Nayeem Ahmed alias Riyaz, surrendered before the SFs at Kishtwar along with one AK-47 rifle, three magazines, 89 AK rounds and one pouch.

August 11: One HM militant, identified as Mushtaq Ahmed, was killed by SFs in an encounter at village Rajpora in the Kupwara district.

August 9: Police personnel killed Sabzar Ahmad alias Muzamil, a HM ‘battalion commander’ at Mantribug village in the Kulgam district. "It is a big blow to Hizbul Mujahideen as Sabzar was an expert in manufacturing IEDs", the Superintendent of Police, S. P. Pani, said. He added that another HM cadre, Pinto Rashid, was arrested. Another Hizb militant, Mudasir Ahmad Mir alias Jahangir, however, managed to escape from the incident site.

A ‘tehsil commander’ of the HM, identified as Mohammed Shafi alias Shahbaz, was killed in an encounter with the troops in the Thathri area of Doda district. Another militant, identified as Akhter Hussain alias Intekhab, is reported to have surrendered to the security forces after the encounter.

August 8: A militant of the HM, Riaz Ahmed alias Mubsher, was arrested by the SF personnel at Zalla bridge in Kishtwar district.

August 5: A local militant of the HM, identified as Shaukat Ahmed alias Jannisaar, was killed by the SFs at Brakpora in the Anantnag district.

August 1: SFs killed Mohammed Abid Hussain Basra alias Zargam alias Hayat, a 'divisional commander' of the HM, in an encounter at Nagni Nullah in the Doda district. However, his two body-guards managed to escape from the incident site.

July 31: Police arrested a HM militant, identified as Latief Ahmed Bhat, and recovered one magazine and 160 rounds of ammunition from his possession at Rajpora in the Pulwama district.

July 30: A government school teacher, Adullah Gujjar, was reportedly abducted by three HM terrorists at village Duniki in the Ramban district and later beheaded. The three Hizb cadres were later identified as Mohammed Shaffi, Shakeel Ahmed and Abdul Latief.

The HM withdrew its call for thousands of migrants to quit Jammu and Kashmir within a week, which had led to hundreds of people fleeing. The demand was reportedly prompted after two non-Kashmiris were arrested on suspicion of raping and killing a teenage girl. The HM announced the ultimatum on July 27 after two migrant labourers were among six people arrested. "For the misdeeds of a few, all non-Kashmiris working in the Kashmir valley cannot be punished… The migrant workers face no threat from us ... but criminal elements among non-locals must leave," said a statement issued by the banned group.

July 29: Police killed a category 'A' militant of the HM, identified as Farooq Ahmed Sheikh alias Illyas, at Pampore in the Pulwama district.

July 23: Police arrested Qadir Sheikh, a former HM militant, for extortion from the Khansahib area of Budgam district along with an AK 47 rifle, three magazines and 23 rounds.

July 23: Two HM militants, Aijaz Ahmed Bhat alias Muzammil and Mohammad Yousuf Najjar, were killed in an encounter that ensued after troops launched a search operation at Mandora in the Tral area of Pulwama district. Sources said that Aijaz was the most wanted "A" category militant in Tral area, as also an improvised explosive device expert, while Yousuf was a "B" category militant.

Official sources said a group of LeT militants abducted and later killed Javid Iqbal, a cadre of the HM, from Kither Bonjwa in the Gandoh area of Doda district. According to sources, Iqbal had surrendered before the security forces about two years back. However, he rejoined the HM group about six months back.

July 22: A surrendered militant, identified as Mohammed Yaseen Pachu, was abducted and subsequently killed by two terrorists at village Amma Trigam in the Banihal area of Ramban district. Sources said that two HM cadres, with whom Pachu had worked for about four years, were suspected to be behind the killing.

July 19 Security forces busted a major hawala (illegal money transfer) network of HM by arresting a top militant of the outfit, identified as Arif Ahmed, and recovered over INR 6.50 lakh hawala money from him on Ramban-Gool road in the Ramban district. Arif was arrested with the consignment which was to be delivered to the HM ‘deputy divisional commander’ Abu Haneef a.k.a. Sher Ali, who was operating from the forest area of Sangaldan. According to sources, the hawala money was dispatched from Awantipura by HM ‘divisional commander’ Abu Hurera a.k.a. Abu Mastan. Five more persons were also detained and being interrogated by the security forces.

July 18: Security forces arrested two HM militants, identified as Tariq Ahmed Mir and Javaid Ahmed Bukhari, from a house in the Handwara area of Kupwara district. While one AK 47 rifle, three magazines and 46 rounds of ammunition were recovered from Tariq, Javaid was arrested along with one AK rifle, three magazines and 61 rounds of ammunition.

July 11: Mohammed Anwar, a ‘district commander’ of the HM Pir Panjal Regiment, was shot dead and one of his body-guards, Mohammed Tariq, arrested during an encounter with the SF personnel at Daryal forests in the Budhal area of Rajouri district. Another body-guard of the slain militant managed to escape from the incident site.

July 10: Two militants of the HM were killed in an encounter with the security forces at Padarpora in the Kulgam district. The slain militants were identified as Ayaz Ahmed Chopan and Ulfat Mohammad.

July 6: Two HM cadres, identified as Tariq Ahmed Ganai alias Shahid Kafeel and Mohammad Abbas Wagay alias Basit, were killed by SFs at Hassanpora village in the Kulgam district.

July 5: Four persons, including two HM militants, were convicted by a court in New Delhi for possessing explosives and conspiring to wage war against the country. The other two persons, held guilty under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Explosive Substances Act, are members of the outlawed SIMI. The quantum of sentence for HM militants, Gulzar Ahmed Wani and Mohiuddin, and SIMI activists, Feroz Rafi and Mumtaz, convicted under section 122 of the IPC for "preparing to wage war" against the State will be pronounced on July 6.

The HM militants, both from Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir, and the SIMI activists from Uttar Pradesh were arrested at New Delhi Railway Station on July 30, 2001. Police had then seized a huge haul of RDX, grenades, launchers, detonators and other explosives from them. The Hizb militants had reportedly come to Delhi to deliver the explosives to the SIMI activists. With their arrest, police had claimed to have solved six bomb blast cases, including the 2001 Sena Bhavan blast. However, the court on February 23 acquitted them in all these cases for lack of evidence.

SFs arrested Gulzar Ahmad Wagay alias Adil, a militant of the HM outfit from the Anantnag district.

July 4: Showkat Ahmed Dar, a top militant of the HM outfit, was killed in a gun-battle with the SFs at Mandoora near Awantipora in the Pulwama district. Dar was reportedly involved in nearly twenty killings and was operating for the last ten years in the Kashmir Valley. A soldier sustained injuries during the incident.

July 3: One Army personnel, Bharat Singh, was killed and a Major, James Stephen, sustained injuries in an ambush laid by the terrorists at Manugala forests in the Topa area of Rajouri district. Official sources said a patrol party of the Rashtriya Rifles was ambushed by three cadres of the HM Pir Panjal Regiment, led by local militant Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din. The three terrorists are reported to have escaped form the incident site.

Brigadier N. P. S. Hira of the Uri brigade informed the media that at least 2000-3500 militants, mostly foreigners, are ready to infiltrate into the Kashmir Valley. He said 1500-2000 foreign militants besides 700-800 local militants, mostly belonging to the HM are ready to be launched into the Valley. "821 local militants are stationed in five camps, Gadi Habibullah, Jangal Mangal, Boyi, Manshera and Khewari near Muzaffarabad," he said.

June 30: Three persons, including two HM militants, were arrested from Sultanpur village in West Bengal's Howrah district. District Superintendent of Police N K Singh said that they raided the house of one Sheikh Samsuddin under Jagacha police station and arrested HM cadres Mohammed Raj and Mohammed Zakir and a civilian identified as Samsuddin. Fake passports, visas and forged travel documents were recovered from them. Singh said that the HM militants had come to Kolkata from Delhi on June 17 and were looking for a transit route to Bangladesh.

June 30: Police detected a five-kg IED planted by militants near the main gate of the Degree College at Anantnag on the Khannabal-Pahalgam road being used by the Amarnath pilgrims. Additional Superintendent of Police (Anantnag) Javeed Ahmed Matto said that the IED, kept in a tiffin box, was later defused and claimed that it was the handiwork of the HM outfit.

June 27: SF personnel shot dead a HM ‘district commander’, identified as Museeb-ul-Islam alias Abdul Qayoom, and injured his body-guard during an encounter at Ansi dhok under the jurisdiction of Budhal police station in Rajouri district. His unidentified body-guard, however, managed to escape from the incident site along with another associate, official sources said.

June 22: The dead body of a HM militant, identified as Liaqat Ali, who was reportedly killed by his associates, was recovered from the Dubjan Khund forest in Shopian district.

June 20: A surrendered HM militant, identified as Mohammed Rafiq, was injured when a detonator exploded in a cigarette he was smoking at Gandoh police station in the Doda district.

June 19: A SPO, Mohammad Rafiq, was shot at and wounded by two unidentified terrorists in his house at Gandali in the Reasi district. Sources said Rafiq was a HM militant and had surrendered before police in 2002. He was later recruited as a SPO and was involved in several successful operations against the militants.

Unidentified terrorists lobbed a hand grenade towards the house of Zahoor Ahmad, a militant of the HM, at Palhalan Pattan in the Baramulla district. However, it exploded in the compound without causing any damage.

A HM ‘section commander’, Mohammed Shoaib alias Sajid, surrendered before the police in Jammu along with arms and ammunition.

June 17: Troops of Rashtriya Rifles arrested an over-ground worker of the HM group, identified as Abdul Majid Nazar, following the recovery of a hand grenade and 27 rounds of ammunition from his house at Shahgund in the Baramulla district.

June 15: Two HM militants, Ghulam Hassan, a deputy district commander, and Abdul Gani, an 'area commander', surrendered before the Deputy Inspector General of Police (Udhampur-Doda range), Lalat Indu Mohanty, at Doda.

June 11: Two HM commanders surrendered before the security forces in the Doda district along with arms, ammunition and explosives. While Riaz Ahmed alias Faisal surrendered at Marwah, Shahbaz alias Gazi surrendered at Gandoh.

Four over-ground workers of the HM, Ghulam Nabi Wani, Sohail Mohiddin Dar, Farooq Ahmad Wani and Abdul Hamid Wani, were arrested at Sopore in the Baramulla district.

June 9: Police recovered the bullet-ridden dead body of a SPO, Bilal Ahmed, from Loktipora. He was abducted by HM militants on June 4 from Budgam.

Suspected militants caused an IED blast on Nihalpora-Pattan Road, targeting a security force patrol convoy. Nobody was injured in the attack. Later, the HM claimed responsibility for the attack.

June 6: Police arrested an over-ground worker of the HM, identified as Farooq Ahmed Waza, from Kishtwar city for allegedly providing food, shelter and logistic support to militants.

June 5: A HM militant, identified as Shiraz Ahmad Mir, was killed in an encounter with the security force personnel at village Chudipora in the Shopian district.

June 4: Two top cadres of the HM, ‘section commander’ Shah Din alias Sher Khan and Ghulam Mohammed alias Mehmood, were killed by the SFs at village Tanatly Bisran in the Gandoh area of Doda district.

Two more militants of the HM, Mohammad Rafeeq Bhat and Mohammad Tariq Bhat, were killed in an encounter with the SFs at Qazipora-Watpora in the Bandipora area of Baramulla district. A 17-year-old girl, Rifat, was injured in the gun-battle.

June 3: An over-ground worker of the HM, Azad Ahmad Bhat, was arrested by the troops from the Handwara area of Kupwara district along with two UBGL grenades.

May 31: Militants caused an IED blast at Bilalabad on the Sopore-Bandipore Road of Baramulla district injuring three BSF personnel, identified as Suresh Paul, Vijay Chand Shukla and Hari Singh. The HM has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.

Two HM cadres, identified as Mohammed Rafiq and Abdul Jabbar, were arrested by police from Behota forests in the Marmat area of Doda district. Sources said Rafiq was earlier arrested in 1999 and spent next six years in jail. He was released in 2005 and had again joined the HM outfit.

May 29: Doda district police arrested a HM militant, identified as Abdul Majid alias Shaheen, from Sinthan Maidan in the Chatroo area. Police said Shaheen was active in militancy in Chatroo and adjoining areas for last three years and was involved in a number of subversive activities.

May 27: The Doda district police arrested Nafiz Manwar Ahangar alias Irfan, a ‘company commander’ of the HM outfit, who happened to be the son of a retired Zonal Education Officer in the Kishtwar area.

May 24: SFs recovered the dead bodies of three HM militants from Ramsu in the Ramban district. The militants, who were believed to have been killed during Operation Bakrola, between March 6-21, 2007, were identified as Inayat Hussain alias Sher Khan, Mohammed Iqbal alias Shaheen, and Mohammed Farooq.

May 23: In the capital city of Srinagar, the Srinagar District Police arrested HM’s longest surviving and the most wanted "divisional commander", Ghulam Hassan Mir alias Shabnam, 18 years after he had joined militancy in 1989. Mir led the Police to Lar Jagir and Tral Bala where some arms and ammunition, including one AK-47 rifle, were claimed to have been recovered on his identification of the hideout.

May 17: Police arrested Abdul Ghani, a top HM wireless operator, during a raid at Shah Nagri in the Handwara area of Kupwara district.

May 15: Police arrested Shabir Ahmed Bhat alias Owais Karim of the HM outfit and Hilal Ahmad Bhat of the Al-Badr group from the Kupwara district.

May 13: SFs killed two HM militants, identified as Ashraf and Makhna, during a search operation in the Ramban area of Doda district after specific information about the presence of a group of local HM militants in the area. Two other militants managed to escape.

Another HM militant, identified as Amin alias Jahangir, was killed by the troops in an encounter that occurred at Bhatta bridge in the Marwah area of Doda district.

May 12: Two militants including a self styled ‘battalion commander’ of the HM, identified as Ishtiaq Ahmad Peer, were killed at Tarzoo-Sopore in the Baramulla district.

May 10: A HM militant, identified as Bilal Ahmed, surrendered before the Army in the Kupwara district. Bilal surrendered along with his weapons before the 14 Grenadiers in Lunawari after surviving the day-long encounter at Dardehare in Kupwara district, a Defence spokesman said.

May 8: The Indian government said that Pakistan-based LeT has been building up a women cadre by imparting arms training to them at its camps in Pakistan. Available reports suggest that LeT is running training camps in Pakistan and PoK for imparting arms training to its women cadre. Union Minister of State for Home, Sriprakash Jaiswal, in a written answer in the Parliament said there was continued involvement of Pakistan and Pakistan-based terrorist outfits like the HM, LeT and JeM in terrorist violence in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India. "They were using and leveraging the existing infrastructure of terror in Pakistan occupied Kashmir and other parts of Pakistan," he said.

May 7: Irshad Khan alias Firdous alias Naseer Baluch, a 'section commander' of the HM, was shot dead by the SF personnel during an encounter at Qila Mohalla in the Bhaderwah area of Doda district.

April 26: Police arrested two over-ground workers of the HM for attempting to target a convoy of the para-military Central Reserve Police Force by planting liquid improvised explosive devices at Nowdal on April 16. They were identified as Tajamul Islam and Bashir Ahmed Shah.

Another plot to assassinate the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in a suicide attack during his rally at Bandipora in the Baramulla district was foiled by police with the arrest of three militants, including a Pakistani national. A senior police officer said that a top LeT militant, Showkat Ahmed, was arrested from the capital Srinagar on April 24. During interrogation, he revealed that the LeT, JeM and HM had hatched a joint conspiracy to assassinate the Chief Minister at Bandipora during his rally. Police raided a militant hideout on the outskirts of Srinagar from where two associates of Showkat were also arrested. They included one Pakistani, Abu Sikander.

April 24: SFs shot dead a HM ‘district commander’, identified as Naseer Ahmed Lone, during an encounter at Sumlar village in the Baramulla district.

April 23: The HM ‘district commander’ Bada Jehangir alias Ghulam Nabi Mir was found dead in the Anantnag district. Residents reportedly spotted the bullet-riddled body Bada Jehangir on a road near Gadseer in the Anantnag district. He is believed to have been killed by the militants themselves on some suspicion.

April 22: Three top HM cadres, including a deserter SPO, were allegedly killed by LeT in the remote and hilly area of Kither under the jurisdiction of Gandoh police station in Doda district. The slain militants were identified as Abdul Qayoom, Sajjad Ahmed and Shabir Ahmed. While Abdul Qayoom was a deserter SPO, Sajjad and Shabir were active in militancy for the last two years. Official sources said the trio was allegedly strangulated by Pakistan-based militants of the LeT as they were planning to surrender before the security forces.

April 20: Two cadres of the HM, identified as Bilal Ahmad Ganie and Hilal Ahmad Bhat alias Sajad, were shot dead in an encounter with the SF personnel at Ratnipora in the Pulwama district.

A HM militant, identified as Abdul Qayoom alias Hakani, was killed in an inter-group clash with LeT cadre at village Kulthu Chilly under the jurisdiction of Gandoh police station in the Doda district

April 18: A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen ‘section commander’ was arrested by troops of the Rashtriya Rifles and Special Task Force during a search operation at village Manjmi in the Doda district. The militant, identified as Farookh alias Irfan, was arrested on the basis of information reportedly given by the Army Intelligence.

April 15: SFs killed two top wanted militants, namely Muzamil Ahmed Wagay alias Assadullah alias Nanha, HM ‘battalion commander’ in Shopian, and Muzaffar Ahmed Parray alias Murtaza, in an encounter at the house of one Ghulam Mohammad Bhat at Zainbathoo village in the Shopian area of Pulwama district.

April 10: SFs arrested a top HM militant, identified as Ghulam Nabi Sheikh alias Zaffar, and defused three Improvised Explosive Devices in the Doda district.

April 9: SF personnel recovered 40 kilograms of RDX and other arms and ammunition during a search operation at Thanala in the Bhaderwah area of Doda district. The consignment was reportedly recovered at the behest of a HM militant, Rouf Ahmed alias Azad alias Gazi, who had surrendered before Army and police on April 8. Apart from 40 kg RDX, the seizure included two .303 rifles, 100 rounds of .303, 200 AK rounds, one Under Barrel Grenade Launcher with six shells and some incriminating documents.

April 8: Rouf alias Gazi, an ‘area commander’ of the HM, surrendered before the Army in Doda district. Gazi had escaped from the encounter in Kishtwar on April 2 in which three HM militants were killed and another injured. He handed over one AK rifle, one magazine and some rounds of ammunition at the time of surrender.

April 3: Troops neutralised a hideout of the HM in the Darhal area of Rajouri district.

April 2: Mohammad Hussain Rishi alias Umair, a ‘battalion commander’ of the HM, was killed in an encounter that ensued after security forces conducted a cordon-and-search operation at Khullar Sof-Shali village in the Kokernag area of Anantnag district.

April 1: Two HM cadres, identified as Saifullah, a ‘tehsil commander’ and Faisal, a ‘section commander’, and a personnel of the Territorial Army, Ravinder Kumar, were killed in an encounter at Kushal in the Chatru area of Doda district.

March 27: Eight terrorists of HM, Tehrik-e-Jihad, Hizb-e-Islami and Kashmir Revolutionary Force laid down their arms before Army in the Uri area of Baramulla district. Sources said that five of the militants surrendered before Army authorities at Braripora and three more laid down arms before officials at Kamalkot.

March 26: SFs gunned down Nazir Ahmed, bodyguard of a HM 'battalion commander' Abdul Haq alias Zehangir in an encounter at Leggani Khrog in Thuruoo area of Arnas in the Reasi Police district.

March 11: The third and the last holed up militant was killed in the encounter between militants and SFs at Naibugh village in the Tral area of Pulwama district. The militants were identified as Altaf Ahmed Khan alias Raashid, Altaf Ahmed Shah alias Sahil and Shabir Ahmed Bhat alias Asif Jameel of the HM outfit.

Security forces arrested three HM activists including two women along with INR 4.21 lakhs hawala (illegal money transfer) money, one Thoraya satellite telephone and a BSNL mobile. They have been identified as Mohd Yusuf Bhat of Gool in the Udhampur district, Rajia Begum and Misra Begum, both sisters and residents of Kulgam in the Anantnag district. The hawala consignment and telephones were given to them by a HM 'district commander' for Kulgam, Muneeb and were to be handed over to HM 'divisional commander' Mushtaq Ahmed at Gool. According to sources, all three accused boarded a bus at Wanpoo in the Anantnag district along with the consignment given to them by Muneeb. They were arrested as soon as they boarded off the bus at Ramban of Doda district.

March 10: Two HM militants were killed during an encounter at Naibugh in south Kashmir. Operations were still continuing between the security forces and another HM militant.

March 8: A militant of HM, identified as Sayar Ahmad, was killed at village Dachan Yaripora, in Kulgam area of Anantnag district.

March 7: Security forces arrested a HM cadre, Shabir Khanday, at Pampore in the Pulwama district.

March 5: An an encounter took place between Army and HM Pir Panjal Regiment militants at Dhundak in Surankote tehsil of Poonch district. While, an army personnel Sepoy Rakesh Kumar was injured, the militants managed to escape from the encounter site.

Three suspects militants, identified as Mohd Azam, Fazal Hussain and Haji Mohd Din, were arrested from Thanna Mandi in Rajouri district. The report added that the data extracted, from the cell phone of Abu Mavia, the slain HM ‘commander’ Pir Panjal Regiment, listed them as over ground workers of the militants.

March 1: In the outskirts of Kishtwar town in the Doda district the ‘commander-in-chief’ of HM Pir Panjal Regiment, identified as Mohd Yasin, and his associate, Shafaat, were killed by Army and Police in an encounter at Morha Daraj under Kandi police station jurisdiction in the Rajouri district. Yasin was carrying a reward of INR Five lakh on his head, official sources said.

February 23: Two Pakistani militants of the HM outfit and an Army personnel are killed and two other soldiers are wounded in a day long encounter during which militants fled from one house to another in populated village of Hasblot and Raina Mohalla in the Thannamandi area of Rajouri. The slain militants are identified as Shahid Rasool alias Abu Mavia and Abu Umar alias.

February 22: Police arrested a HM ‘commander’, Bashir Ahmad Wagay, from the Shopian area in Pulwama district.

February 19: Police arrested Mohammad Ashraf Malik, a HM militant, from Kangan in the Srinagar district along with a loaded pistol.

February 18: The Interpol has sought the assistance of JKP to question the chief of HM, Syed Salahuddin, in connection with the disappearance of a Scottish tourist in the Kashmir valley 26 years ago.

February 15: Two top cadres of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, identified as ‘tehsil commander’ Ali Mohd Dandi alias Arshad Ayub and his body-guard Bashir Ahmed alias Zahir-ul-Islam, are shot dead by the SFs in an encounter at Gulabgarh in the Udhampur district.

February 6: In a joint operation Police and troops of RR 62 Battalion killed two militants of HM at Nowpora Cholan in Kulgam area. Police sources said that two other militants, including one named Sabzar Ahmed Waza alias Basharat, are suspected to have escaped during the encounter. Identities of the two militants killed in the operation are yet to be ascertained.

In another incident, a HM militant, Shabir Ahmed Bhat alias Imran alias Sadat alis Subhan Afghnai alias Junaid, who belonged to the Mushtaq Malla group, surrendered to the Superintendent of Police Handwara following a raid on a hideout at Khan Tulwari along with an AK-56 rifle and a hand grenade.

February 4: Police arrested Fayaz Ahmad Hajam alias Khadim, a ‘Battalion Commander’ of HM, in Kupwara district.

January 28: Two SF personnel are killed and two others sustain injuries in an encounter with HM terrorists at Chadroo in the Kishtwar area of Doda district.

January 26: A ‘commander’ of the HM, identified as Mohammad Sharief Khan alias Aurangzeb, is shot dead by SFs in an encounter at Kachwan jungle in the Anantnag district.

January 23: A CRPF spokesperson said that terrorists detonate an IED at Probabad on the Awantipora-Panzgam road in Pulwama district when two CRPF vehicles were passing the area. He said three CRPF personnel, identified as Thomas, S. K. Misra and Ganesh, died in the blast. HM claims responsibility for the attack.

January 17: SF personnel kill at least three cadres of the HM, identified as Sheeraz alias Muzamil, Muddassar and Riyaz,, during an encounter at Augam in the Kulgam area of Anantnag district.

January 16: Maqbool Ahmad Bhat alias Tariq alias Altaf Sheikh, a HM ‘district commander’ is arrested in Baramulla.

January 15: A civilian, identified as Abdul Rashid, is shot dead by two terrorists near his house at Sumbar in the Ramban area of Doda district. Official sources said two militants, Mushtaq Ahmed and Mohammed Iqbal, of the HM outfit abducted Rashid from his house and took him to a nearby isolated area and later shot him dead.

January 8: A militant of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Reyaz Ahmad Bhat, is arrested at the main market of Pulwama district.

January 4: The HM chief, Syed Salahuddin, has reportedly denied any link between the al Qaeda and his outfit and said it is not in the "interest of the Hizb" as it is "fighting" all Kashmiris and not Muslims alone. "As far as we Kashmiris are concerned, we are only confined to Kashmir.... We have no introduction or links with the Al-Qaeda. I think it is not in our interest to side with Al-Qaeda because we are not fighting only for the Muslim Kashmiris but for all the Kashmiris including non-Muslims," Salahuddin said in an interview to a Pakistan-based private news channel.

January 3: A Naib Subedar of Army is killed and two other soldiers are injured in an encounter with the terrorists of the Pir Panjal Regiment of the HM at Khadoon in the Budhal area of Rajouri district.

2006

December 23: Police at Tral arrests a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) cadre, identified as Mohammed Shaban Bhat.

December 21: Police arrests one at Khashtang in South Kashmir and recover INR 1,60,000, one letter pad of HM and 25 AK rounds.

December 15: Police in the Doda district shot dead two HM cadres, identified as Shahid Hussain and Abdul Hafiz Batt alias Hikmatyar, at village Thanala in the Bhadarwah area.

December 13: A HM militant, identified as Mohammed Yasin alias Tufail, surrenders before the Doda police along with one AK rifle, one magazine, 27 rounds and some incriminating documents.

December 11: Security forces killed two militants of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Mohammad Shafi Ganai alias Shaheen and Ghulam Hassan Sheikh alias Nadeem alias Bilal alias Zaffar, in an encounter at Sofigund in the Tral area of Pulwama district.

December 9: HM 'divisional commander' Mohammed Sharief alias Hekmatyar was killed by the police in an encounter at Lancha in the Udhampur district.

December 8: A Delhi Court sentenced two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militants, arrested three years ago with a huge cache of arms and explosives, to seven years rigorous imprisonment.

December 3: Shama Begun, the wife of Mohammed Javed alias Jishan, a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen 'sector commander', was killed in an exchange of firing between militants and security forces at Parshola near Prem Nagar in the Doda district. However, Javed managed to escape from the incident site.

An over-ground worker of the HM, identified as Sardar Mohammed, was arrested from village Sharekhi in the Doda district. 56 AK rounds, letter pads of the HM and some letters written by a militant Riaz Ahmed, (presently in Pakistan) were recovered from his possession.

November 30: Three top cadres of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen including 'battalion commander' Shabir Ahmed alias Tufail, were killed by the SFs during an encounter at village Deval in the Mahore area of Udhampur district. The other two slain militants were identified as Abdul Hamid alias Ashiq and Mohammed Amin alias Zunaid.

November 28: Suhail Faisal, one of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen's most wanted 'commanders' in Jammu and Kashmir, was killed by SFs at his hideout which he had established in the residential locality of the former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed at Baba Mohalla in the Bijbehara township of Ananatnag district.

November 21: SFs kill two cadres of the HM outfit, 'section commander' Fareed Ahmed and Shabir Ahmed, at Kawana village in the Banihal area of Doda district.

The BSF shot dead a HM cadre, identified as Mushtaq Ahmed alias Rafiq, in an encounter at Thacchu Mohalla in the Udhampur district.

November 20: A militant of the HM, identified as Mohammad Iqbal Bodha, is killed while two other militants escaped from the incident site at Mehmoodabad in the Anantnag district.

November 15: SFs shot dead a HM militant, identified as Basharat Peer alias Saifullah, at Sumbar in the Ramban area of Doda district.

In a breakthrough in the plot hatched by foreign militants of HM inside the high-security Kot Bhalwal jail in Jammu to assassinate the Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of Kathua jail, the police arrests a contract killer, Akash alias Makora, who had been delivered a consignment by a conduit of HM's Anantnag-based commander for executing the task.

November 14: At least 15 persons, including seven security force personnel, are wounded when terrorists targeted a CRPF camp at Karan Nagar in the capital Srinagar. Militants first lob a grenade towards the camp in which two CRPF personnel are injured. A few minutes later militants detonate a car bomb causing injuries to 13 more people, including two more CRPF men, two cops and nine civilians.

Militants set off an IED near a busy bus stand in the Baramulla town, injuring an Army Major, two soldiers and eight civilians. The HM claims responsibility for both the attacks. .

November 13: A HM militant, Muzaffar Hussain alias Zahid Kamran, surrenders before the Doda police and Army.

November 12: A 'battalion commander' of the HM, Mohammad Shafi Meloo, is killed in an encounter with the SF personnel near Pahalgam in the Anantnag district. A civilian was injured in the shoot out.

Muzaffar Hussain alias Kamran, a HM militant, who has been active in Doda and surrounding areas, surrenders before the SFs at Thathri in the Doda district.

November 11: Even as the HM denies that the youth captured by residents of Tahab in Pulwama district on November 10 was a militant of that organisation, 22-year-old Ghulam Nabi Mir alias Shora confessed in Army's custody before media that he had thrown the grenade on the Bareilvi cleric, Maulana Abdur Rasheed Dawoodi, on the direction of an over-ground activist, Gulzar Ahmed Mir alias Nikka Mir.

November 8: LeT cadres clash with HM militants at Gandoh in the Doda district in which a top HM cadre, Gul Nawaz Shah alias Abu Hamza, is killed. Official sources said Shah was earlier working with the LeT outfit but had sometime back switched allegiance to the Hizb.

On the day of arrival of the first rail coach in Kashmir valley, militants cause an IED explosion near the railway track at Gulzarpora in the Awantipore area of south Kashmir, injuring a civilian. Militants caused another IED explosion at Kehlil in the Pulwama district. However, no loss of life or injuries is reported. The HM, however, claimed to have killed six soldiers in the two incidents.

November 7: Shabbir Ahmed alias Abu Abrar, a HM cadre, who had deserted a police picket as a Special Police Officer at Thathri on April 20, 2006, is shot dead by the SFs at village Budhi in the Gandoh area of Doda district.

November 6: An over-ground worker of the HM, Mohammed Hassan, is arrested by security forces from village Tanki in the Banihal area of Doda district.

November 5: Two over-ground workers of the LeT, Jehangir Ahmad Lone and Ghulam Ahmad Lone, and a HM militant are arrested and a cache of arms and ammunition seized from them during separate operations in the Kupwara and Pulwama districts.

November 4: Terrorists shot dead four members of a family, including three women, in their house at Maglogi in the Ramban area of Doda district. A group of four terrorists attacked the house of Ahad Bhat at Maglogi and started molesting two girls, including Ahad’s 25-year-old daughter Mobina. The terrorists wanted to abduct Mobina for forcibly holding her nikaah (marriage) with a HM cadre. Bhat had been receiving letters from HM cadres to hold the nikaah of Mobin with an ‘area commander’ of the outfit, Zafar Ahmed.

SF recovers 200 kilograms of RDX and a large quantity of other explosive material including 61 detonators, five remote control devices, four timer pencils, 10 rounds of .303 and 500 grams chemical from a cave, reportedly being used as a hide-out by the HM militants in Sumbar area of Ramban.

Police and security forces arrested a HM militant, identified as Mehboob Ahmed Khatana alias Naasir, and recovered two hand grenades from his possession at Tengpuna in Pulwama.

November 3: Unidentified terrorists stopped a marriage party at Bumthan on the outskirts of Anantnag town and shot dead Bilal Ahmed Parray alias Bil Wahab, one of the most prominent commanders of HM in south Kashmir, who had surrendered before Police earlier this year. According to official records, he had functioned as HM ‘Chief of Operations’ in the Anantnag area and appointed as ‘District Commander’ after security forces killed the most wanted Shabir Bidouri. HM spokesman Junaid-ul-Islam claimed that militants of his organisation gunned down Bil Wahab for he had surrendered and later arranged surrender of several other militants.

Terrorists fire some shots towards a Police party at Pinglish village in the Tral area of Pulwama district. The officers escaped unhurt, but their vehicles are damaged in the attack. The HM claimed responsibility for the incident.

October 30: Noor Mohammed alias Javed Burqi, a HM 'divisional commander', reportedly a close associate of the Pakistan-based HM chief Syed Salahuddin, is shot dead by the SF personnel in the Bhaderwah area of Doda district.

Three HM terrorists abduct a police constable and two students from village Chadol in the Udhampur district. While one of the students, Nissar Ahmed, is killed and another injured, the constable is untraced till last reports came in.

October 29: Mohammad Iqbal Mir, a 24-year-old civilian, believed to be an informant of the security forces, is abducted and subsequently killed by terrorists in the Yarwan forest of Pulwama district. A note, purportedly written on behalf of the HM and labeling the individual an informant has been recovered from the incident site.

October 24: Police in the Doda district shot dead two cadres of the HM outfit, 'divisional commander' Mushtaq Ahmed and 'section commander' Abdul Lateef, in an encounter at Keen Dhar in the Gandoh area of Doda district. A porter, who was carrying arms and ammunition of the HM cadres and is killed in the operation, is identified as Mohammed Issaq. A Special Police Officer is reportedly wounded in the incident.

October 22: Two top cadres of the HM outfit, 'section commander' Shabir Ahmed Bhat and Mohammed Imran, are shot dead by the SFs in an encounter at Mislie in the Doda district.

October 16: People of Sugoo village in the Shopian area of Pulwama district have reportedly captured a category "A" militant of the HM outfit, Rayees Ahmed Malik, and handed him over to Police while claiming cash reward of INR 2 Lakh.

October 15: A HM cadre, identified as Mohammad Hafiz Kulas, is killed by the SF personnel in an encounter in the Donaro forest area of Pulwama district. Another HM cadre, Abdul Majid Mir, is killed by the SFs at Motigowran in the Anantnag district. Two HM cadres, including a former Special Police Officer, surrender before security forces and police at Gool in the Udhampur district.

October 14: SFs kill two cadres of the HM after a raid on their hideout at Senzan on the Pulwama-Panjgam Road in Pulwama district.

October 13: Two cadres of the HM, Azad Ahmad of Shopian and Shakeel Bhai alias Abass of Gujranwala in Pakistan, and one SF personnel are killed and a SF personnel wounded in a 24-hour-long gunfight at Allayalpora village in the Shopian area of Pulwama district.

October 9: SFs arrest a HM cadre, identified as Mohammed Imtiaz, from village Barthi in the Doda district. ·

October 6: Two suspected terrorists of the HM, Yasin Dar and Dildar Dar, are arrested in the Anantnag district.

SFs neutralize a hideout of the HM at Botengo in the Anantnag district and arrest two militants who were planning to plant an IED on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway.

October 3: SF personnel kill two terrorists of the HM, identified as ‘District Commander’ Mohammad Ashraf Ganai alias Bilal and Naseer Ahmed Wani alias Zubair, during a search operation at Borwah village in the Budgam district. Two SF personnel are wounded in the incident.

September 30: Two soldiers are injured when terrorists carried out an IED blast on Marhama-Sangam road in the Bijbehara area of Anantnag district. The HM claims responsibility for the attack.

September 29: A cadre of the LeT, identified as ‘district commander’ Sameer Ahmed Mir alias Abu Saquib, is killed when two groups of terrorists, suspected from the HM and LeT, opened fire on each other at Neeldora in the Pulwama district.

Mohammed Shafi, a HM cadre, who had escaped on September 13 from Chatru police station in Doda district in handcuff leading to the dismissal of a Special Police Officer and suspension of a Head Constable from the services, is re-arrested by the police from Marwah.

September 28: SFs arrest two HM cadres from the Pahalgam area of Anantnag district along with one hand grenade and three detonators.

SFs arrested one Hizb cadre along with one pistol and eight rounds from the Charar-e-Sharief area of Budgam district.

September 27: A 65-year old HM cadre, Roshan Din Gujjar, is killed during an encounter with the SFs in the Dedla area of Doda district. Roshan Din is a hardcore militant despite the age factor and was known for beheading civilians.

Security forces arrested two cadres of the HM and Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami outfits and five over-ground workers from separate places in the Jammu region.

September 26: Police detects and subsequently defuse a powerful 15 kilogram RDX and grenades filled IED, planted by three HM cadres, identified as Ajaz Ahmed, Mumtaz Ahmed and Riaz Ahmed at Daksool under the jurisdiction of Ramban police station..

September 24: Over 1,000 trained Kashmiri militants are "currently stranded" in three camps of the HM in the Hazara region of NWFP, a Press Trust of India report quoted the Pakistan-based Herald magazine. "Of these, the Hisari and Batrasi camps are located in Mansehra district while a third camp is located in Boi in district Abbottabad," Herald reported. It quoted unnamed sources to say that thousands of other terrorists were confined in camps run by half a dozen smaller Kashmiri groups or predominantly Pakistani outfits like the LeT, JeM and Al-Badr Mujahideen in the frontier and Pakistan occupied Kashmir regions. Quoting "knowledgeable sources", the Herald said "until recently”, small groups like the Tehrik-ul-Mujahideen, Al-Umar Mujahideen, Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen, Al-Fatah, Al-Jihad, Al-Barq, Tehrik-e-Jihad, and Islamic Front were receiving between 400,000 and 700,000 rupees a month, adding, "Large organisations like HM, LeT, JeM, Al-Badr Mujahideen and others received more money, ranging between two to three million rupees."

September 23: SF personnel arrest a HM cadre, Mushtaq Ahmed Wani, from the Safekadal area of capital Srinagar along with a pistol and three rounds

September 22: A cadre of the HM, identified as Pervez Ahmed Bhat, is shot dead by the troops during an encounter at Tarzoo in the Sopore area of Baramulla district, while his associate, identified as Ishtiaq Pir, managed to escape.

Police arrests a HM cadre, identified as Mohammed Israel, from village Bonjwah in the Doda district.

September 21: Police in Doda district rescue two teenagers, Zakir Hussain and Farooq Ahmed, from the clutches of HM cadres at village Zihand.

September 20: The Pakistan-based HM offers a conditional cease-fire in the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir during Ramadan, which is set to begin next week. Ehsan Elahi, chief spokesman for the HM, said, “If the Indian government agrees to scale down troop presence, stop human rights violations and release all political prisoners, we will also consider a cease-fire in attacks against them during Ramadan.”

September 19: A HM cadre, identified as Tasleem Ayaz Rather alias Farzar Gohar alias Shahjar Khan, who reached Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir after operating in Mumbai and other parts of India for last eight years after undergoing training in Pakistan, is arrested by the police from Gujjar Mandi near Rajouri town.

September 16: Two HM militants are killed during an encounter with the SFs at Wahipora in the Pulwama district in which two SPOs are also injured.

CRPF and Jammu & Kashmir Police personnel arrest four HM militants from a Maruti car at Pohru Chowk, on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway, in the outskirts of Srinagar.

HM militant, Mohammed Shaffi, surrenders before Army personnel at Gei in the Doda district. ·

September 15: A youth, Alaf Din, is killed and five members of a SPO’s family are injured when a terrorist lobbed a grenade on his quarter in the Surankote town of Poonch district. The surrendered militant-turned- SPO, Mohammed Rafeeq, was an active cadre of the HM till he had surrendered before security forces in 2003.

A HM militant, who had recently surrendered before security forces, escapes from Chatru police station of Doda district along with a handcuff.

September 14: SFs arrest a HM cadre, identified as Mohammed Shafi, from village Kiyar in the Doda district.

A HM cadre is arrested along with two hand grenades at Shopian in the Pulwama district.

September 10: One Special Police Officer, Abdul Hameed, is killed and a Constable injured in an ambush by the HM at Kulgam in the Anantnag district.

A HM cadre, identified as Mubashir Ahmed Dar alias Saifullah, is killed in an encounter with the police at Damhal Hanjipora in the Anantnag district.

September 9: Troops conducting search operations at Dunaro in Kellar belt of Pulwama district kill a terrorist identified as Yasin Pathan. He was one among the four top wanted terrorists and close associates of HM "Chief Commander Operations" Shehnawaz alias Misbah-ud-din.

September 7: Two cadres of the HM are killed in an encounter with the BSF personnel at Gulshan Abad in the Pulwama district.

September 6: Troops shot at and subsequently arrest a HM cadre, identified as Farooq Ahmed Rather, after an encounter at Check-e-Charatram village in the Budgam district. A Sub Inspector of Police is injured in the operation.

September 5: Mohammed Rafeeq alias Wasim alias Billoo Gujjar, a ‘deputy divisional commander’ of the HM who had been active for the last 15 years and also the longest surviving cadres of the outfit, was shot dead by SFs in an encounter at village Mangal Kundi in the Udhampur district.

SFs kill two more cadres of the HM, identified as Mohammad Ayub Khan alias Dawood and Mohammad Amin Najaar, in an encounter in the Hapat Naar area of Anantnag district.

Terrorists shot dead a student, identified as Ehsanul Haq Bhat, at Sopore in the Baramulla district, when he was returning home. The HM claimed responsibility for the killing saying Bhat was an informant of the SFs.

September 2: A HM cadre surrenders along with an AK rifle, three rounds and a grenade at Naidkhai.

August 31: Security forces kill a terrorist, identified as Bilal Bhai of the HM, at Gagangeer village in the Srinagar district.

August 28: SF personnel arrest Mohammad Ashraf Parray alias Illyas alias Fayaz, a ‘district commander’ of the HM outfit, from Pulwama district.

Police arrests four top terrorists, including a co-ordinator of the LeT and HM outfits in Rajouri district in two separate incidents.

August 27: SF personnel kill a HM cadre during an encounter in the Ganderbal area of capital Srinagar.

August 24: The Special Operations Group of police in Jammu arrests three activists of the HM and JeM from Tikri on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway when they were shifting a Hawala consignment from Rajouri to Kashmir.

August 23: Security forces arrest an over ground worker of the HM outfit, identified as Mohammed Shafi, from village Kamliyan in the Rajouri district.

Police arrests a HM cadre and recover two hand grenades from a fish market in the Baramulla district.

The Union Government said that Pakistan’s external intelligence agency ISI continues to provide "directions" and "logistics" support to terrorist groups like the HM, LeT, JeM and Al-Badr for terrorist related activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

August 21: Security forces recover a consignment of explosives and ration, including 10 kg RDX, five grenades, five AK rounds and six quintals of ration, from a HM hideout at Sikri Top in the Doda district.

August 16: Two soldiers and a woman are wounded when terrorists ambushed a patrol party of the CRPF near Kanjikullah in the Anantnag district. The HM claims responsibility for the attack.

August 13: Mohammed Imran alias Furkan, a ‘district commander’ of the HM, is shot dead by the security forces at village Majar in the Doda district.

August 8: The Army rescues a 16-year old boy, Abdul Rashid Sheikh, from the captivity of HM outfit from Thanala forests in the Doda distict. Sheikh had been kidnapped by the HM from his residence on July 27 for recruitment in the outfit.

August 7: Two terrorists and a soldier are reportedly killed and three persons held hostages are rescued in a gun-battle at Shirpora in the Anantnag district. The encounter ensued as the SF personnel launched a cordon-and-search operation in the area after learning that HM terrorist Fayaz Ahmed Naikoo is present in the village along with two or three associates. As troops laid siege to the locality, the terrorists open gunfire and escape while breaking the cordon and killing two soldiers.

August 6: Two terrorists, including HM ‘Battalion Commander’ Muqeen Ahmed Rather alias Samiullah, are killed in a late night encounter at Kulgam in the Anantnag district.

August 1: A ‘District Commander’ of the HM outfit, Shafi Parray, is arrested from the Budgam district.

A HM ‘divisional commander’, Fayaz Ahmad Dar alias Saleem Khan, is arrested from Sopore in the Baramulla district.

Police arrest three more HM cadres, Riaz Ahmed, Zahid and Zahoor Din, at Thathri in the Doda district.

In Doda, a HM cadre is arrested from Gandoh minutes before he was to throw a grenade targeting the Manu police post.

July 31: 12 terrorists from four outfits, including the HM, surrender in the Baramulla district.

July 27: BSF personnel arrest a HM terrorist at Keller in South Kashmir district of Pulwama and acting on his information recovered 4,462 rounds of AK ammunition, one hand grenade, two magazines, one mobile phone and two SIM cards from his native village Kellar in same district.

Another HM terrorist Bashir Ahmad Mir is arrested from Sopore bus stand.

July 24: Baramulla District Police arrest a top commander of HM, identified as Fayaz Ahmed Dar alias Saleem Khan, from Narbal Crossing on Srinagar-Gulmarg and Srinagar-Baramulla Road.

SF personnel arrest two HM terrorists at Kreeri in Pattan.

July 22: Security forces arrest a HM cadre traveling along with a LeT terrorist, Mohammad Rafeeq Sheikh alias Mudasar Gujri alias Raju, at Chakla village on Baramulla-Langet Road from Baramulla last week.

July 21: SFs kill two suspected HM terrorists, identified as Bashir Ahmed Bhat and Javed Ahmed Dar, during an attack at a terrorist hideout at Wanpora Redwani in the Anantnag-Kulgam belt of south Kashmir.

India asks Pakistan to hand over Syed Salahuddin of the HM and the mafia leader Dawood Ibrahim as proof of its cooperation in the battle against terror.

A Special Police Officer, Irshad Ahmed, is arrested for his suspected links with HM in Chilli area of Gandoh.

July 18: A HM cadre, Mohd Shafi is killed by troops in an encounter at Jaghot Top forests in the Doda district.

July 17: Terrorists open firing on a Police party at Khar Rawa in Bhim Dass area of Gool. Following the exchange of firing, one local HM terrorist, Tariq alias Sadiq, is arrested by security forces.

July 16: Security forces arrest two suspected HM terrorists, Ghulam Mohammed and Mohammed Sadiq, from Gulabgarh in the Udhampur district.

July 15: Police foil an exfiltration bid at Lolab in the Kupwara district and arrest six persons, including two HM terrorists, identified as Ali Mohammed Kumar and Merajudin Khanday.

July 10: Riyaz Ahmad Bhat, head of the HM operations for Anantnag district, is shot dead in an encounter with the police at Kachhipora in the Anantnag district.

July 8: In an "inter-gang feud”, HuJI cadre is shot dead by HM terrorists in his house at Bhandarkoot in the Doda district.

SF personnel arrest five suspected militants comprising two each from Basantgarh and Thathri in the Udhampur and Doda districts respectively, including two HM cadres.

July 5: Security force personnel arrested a HM terrorist, identified as Qasim Ali.

July 4: Troops kill Sohail Afzal alias Ahmed Ali alias Ali Punjabi, a HM terrorist of Pakistani origin in an encounter at Gallandar in Pampore town on Srinagar-Jammu highway.

Police announce the arrest of Manzoor Ahmad Wani, the HM’s ‘divisional commander’ for central Kashmir. Wani, who operated under the code-name `Yunus' is the senior most HM operative to be apprehended in a decade.

July 3: Tanzeem Ahmed, a SPO, is abducted and killed by suspected HM terrorists with his eyes removed, ears chopped off, throat slit and private parts amputated at village Harni in Poonch district.

Police arrest a HM terrorist, identified as Samundar Khan. from Marmat in the Doda district.

June 30: A HM cadre, identified as Lal Deen Gujjar, is killed by troops in an encounter in the Kethan forest area near Aloosa in the Pulwama district.

June 28: A Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami terrorist, identified as Nazeer Hussain Dugi alias Basharat, is killed by a HM cadre in an internecine clash in the Kishtwar area of Doda district.

Rajouri Police neutralises a communication network being run by the HM and LeT outfits with the arrest of two persons. The disclosures made by them helped Police in identifying all mobile telephone numbers of the HM and LeT top leadership in Rajouri district and parts of Poonch district.

June 25: Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen claims that its ‘launching commander’ for Baramulla sector, Rashid Akhtar, is killed near the LoC along with two HM terrorists when they were going on an important mission and that bodies of the three were taken to Muzaffarabad in PoK.

Police arrest an injured terrorist of the HM outfit, Javed Ahmed Dar alias Shabeer, undergoing treatment after being injured in an encounter with the troops in the Kulgam area of Anantnag district, from the SMHS hospital in capital Srinagar. Four top terrorists, including of the HM, identified as Mohammed Rafiq (code Furkan Illahi) and Javed Ahmed alias Zahid, surrender along with their arms before the SFs in the Doda district.

June 24: Troops kill a ‘district commander’ of the HM, identified as Nissar Ahmed Sofi alias Tarabi, and his deputy Sarfraz Ahmad alias Safi, in an encounter at Mirbagh in the Pulwama district. An Army Captain, S.B. Singh, is killed and a soldier is injured in a separate encounter during subsequent cordon and search operation in the area following information that more terrorists were hiding in some houses.

A top HM cadre, Mohammed Yasin Pochoo surrenders before the SFs at Nachlana in the Ramban area.

Another top HM cadre, identified as Tariq Ahmed Bhat, surrenders before police in the Shopian area of Pulwama district.

June 20: A ‘deputy district commander’ of the HM outfit, identified as Farooq Ahmed Bhat alias Aaquib alias Junaid, is killed in an encounter with the SFs at Thathu hamlet in the Kund area of Anantnag district.

June 18: Troops kill a cadre of the HM outfit, identified as Ishrat Ali, in a gun-battle in the Bhadarwah tehsil of Doda district.

The HM strongly denies the police claim that it is involved in the killing of Nepali labourers. Reacting to the police chief's claim that three HM terrorists massacred the labourers at Bardoo-Kulgam, the HM spokesperson, Junaidul Islam, in a statement to a local news agency KNS describes the claim as baseless and far from reality.

June 17: Police arrest ten militants, including three HM cadres, involved in the recent car bombings and grenade attacks, including two on tourists, in the Valley. The three HM militants are arrested from Kulgam area of Anantnag district while they were carrying grenades to be lobbed in the town.

June 16: Police arrest an over ground worker of HM, Manzoor Ahmed, from camp number 446 on Pahalgam-Cave Yatra track in Sheshnag area along with his two accomplices.

June 14: Unidentified terrorists shot dead, a civilian, Pervez Ahmed Bhat, who was the brother-in-law of HM commander, Riyaz Ahmed Bhat alias Aftab, at Laroo in the Kulgam area of Anantnag district.

Rajouri district police arrest a Government teacher, identified as Mohd Amin, who had been extorting money from the people in the name of HM outfit using their posters and stamps. The Police also recover one stamp and one letterhead of HM 'area commander'.

June 13: Troops arrest a HM cadre, Sharafat Hussain, along with a wireless set in Rajouri district.

June 11: Police arrest a HM cadre, identified as Gulzar Hussain, from Rajouri Bus Stand along with one loaded revolver and Rupees 10,000 in cash.

June 8: Security forces arrest a HM cadre, identified as Mohammed Isaq, from Doda Bus Stand and at his instance the police recover 201 AK rounds, one wireless set and six magazines from Sheikhwan Beoli in Doda.

At Thanala in the Doda district, security forces rescue a HM recruit, Muzaffar Hussain who had sustained injuries in an encounter with the troops while he was being taken to a hide-out by the HM cadres.

June 7: Police arrest a Railway Engineer, working with IRCON, from Jammu city after it was found that the SIM card of a mobile telephone used by a HM cadre in Rajouri had been issued on his name.

June 6: SF personnel shot dead Mushtaq Ahmed Wani alias Khalid, a 'district commander' of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, in an encounter at Tulkhan hamlet in the Bijbehara area of Anantnag district.

Two HM cadres, Gulzar Ahmed alias Jaanbaz, a 'group commander' for Kohi and Mohammed Afzal Malik alias Atish Khan, a 'group commander' for Daram, surrender before the SFs in the Gool area of Udhampur district along with one AK-47 rifle, one AK-56 rifle, eight AK magazines, 240 rounds, one radio set, one mobile telephone, one bayonet, two pouches and a large quantity of other ammunition and explosives.

June 5: Security forces neutralize a terrorist hideout with the arrest of six cadres of the HM, including the nephew, Yasir, of senior PDP leader and former Minister of State for Health Abdul Gaffar Sofi, in south Kashmir during the last few days. This module of young and indoctrinated terrorists had conducted an attack on senior National Conference leader, Ali Mohammad Nayak, at Tral in Pulwama district and, among other operations, planned to kill senior police officer Syed Ashiq Hussain Bukhari.

June 3: A 'tehsil commander' of HM, identified as Iftikhar Ahmad Kilu alias Iftasa alias Ghazanvi, is killed by Army and police personnel in an encounter at Thanala in the Doda district.

June 1: A HM cadre, identified as Bilal Ahmed alias Usman of Pakistan, is killed in an encounter with the troops during an ambush at village Yaripora in the Kulgam area of Anantnag district.

The Police recover a bullet-ridden body of a former HM cadre, Azad Ahmad Bhat, from his Muradpora village in the Pulwama district.

May 30: Two terrorists, identified as Hafiz Mohammed Irfan alias Janbaz of Maharashtra and Mohammed Ashraf alias Asif of Tral, suspected to be involved in the attack on former minister Ali Mohammed Naik, are killed in an encounter with the SF personnel at Trumbal Tral in the Pulwama district. They reportedly belonged to the HM outfit and were.

May 29: A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen HM cadre, Abdul Qayoom alias Javed Iqbal, surrenders before the security forces at Reasi in the Udhampur district.

May 26: Police said that three cadres of the Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami outfit are shot dead by HM cadres in inter-gang rivalry at Lohi Dhar in the Kishtwar area of Doda district.

SF personnel kill Munawwar Shah, a top wanted cadre of the HM, in an encounter at Veersaran in the Anantnag-Pahalgam area of south Kashmir. He had been operating since 1994 and is estimated to be involved in scores of attacks on SFs and mainstream politicians besides killing over 25 civilians.

May 23: A few hours ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the Kashmir Valley to convene a roundtable conference in the capital Srinagar, a suicide bomber blew himself up as a patrol party of the BSF passed Hyderpora colony, just a couple of kilometers away from Srinagar Airport injuring at least 25 BSF personnel. According to official sources, the suicide bomber triggered an explosive laden car near Hyderpora airport road and besides killing himself, also injured at least 25 BSF personnel. The HM claims responsibility for the attack.

Police arrests a woman cadre of the HM outfit, identified as Rubeena, wife of Shakeel Ahmed, from Beri Bagh in the Doda district.

May 21: Hizb-ul-Mujahideen 'supreme commander' and chairman of the Muttahida Jihad Council (MJC) Syed Salahuddin is reported to have said that explosions from Karachi to Neelum valley and the present insurgency in Balochistan and North Waziristan are conspiracies of the Indian intelligence and its military. Addressing the Shan-e-Mustafa conference at Kasur in Punjab, he warned if Pakistan showed any kind of retreat or leniency on Kashmir issue at this critical stage, it would destabilise Pakistan because Jihad in Kashmir has entered a decisive stage and showing cowardice would provide an opportunity for Indian forces to infiltrate Balochistan and Waziristan. Criticising the Pakistani Government policy towards India, Salahuddin said Pakistan is fostering friendly relations with India in every field but contrary to this India is responding in shape of intervening in Balochistan and North West Frontier Province.

May 19: Security forces arrest two top HM terrorists, including a Pakistani, from Doda town when they were planning to carry out yet another attack on minorities.

MAY 16: Four top HM terrorists, including 'tehsil commander' Arshad Gujjar, are killed in an encounter with the troops at Akhran in the Banihal area of Doda district.

May 12: Security forces arrest four over ground workers of the HM outfit along with a Chinese pistol and a mobile phone at Shopian in the Pulwama district.

A cadre of the HM outfit surrender before the Army at Bandipora in the Baramulla district.

May 9: SFs carry out various raids in Bijbehara after securing information from a diary of top HM 'commander' Mushtaq Ahmed Bhat alias Gowhar alias Aijaz, who was killed during an encounter at Nooripur in the Pulwama district on May 7. The troops recovered 24 remote controls of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), 28 kilograms of assorted explosives, two electric detonators, ten pencil cells, two dry batteries, three ball bearing packets, 40 plastic boxes to house IEDs, one wire cutter, one soldering iron, soldering wire bundles, six radio sets and one rifle silencer.

May 7: SF personnel in the Noorpora village of Pulwama district kill the 'district commander' of the HM, Mushtaq Ahmed Bhat alias Gowhar. He was the most wanted terrorists of the districts and had been operating since 1990 and he was responsible for over 50 killings and a large number of bomb blasts in central Kashmir. Gowhar had been appointed as HM 'district commander' for Anantnag after the most wanted Shabir Bidaoori was killed in an encounter with the Army in 2005.

May 6: A 'battalion commander' of the HM outfit, identified as Abid alias Dina, is killed in an encounter with the security forces at village Fidapur in the Baramulla district.

May 4: Troops arrest an Over Ground Worker of the terrorists, identified as Lala, from village Kholi in the Gool area of Udhampur district. He was arrested on information given by a surrendered cadre of the HM outfit, identified as Mukhtar Ahmed.

May 3: Police recover the dead body of one Rayees Ahmed Baba, brother of a HM cadre Mohammad Yusuf Baba, currently in a jail in Jammu since 2005, from the Rajpora area of Pulwama district.

The Inspector General of Police, K. Rajendra Kumar, informs in Srinagar 3 that the police are planning to launch a major legal battle against terrorists operating from across the border. "We plan to approach Interpol to issue red card notices against top militant leaders, including chairman of United Jehad Council and supremo of Hizbul Mujahideen Syed Salahuddin and Lashkar-e-Toiba chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed now in Pakistan," said Kumar. He also said the wanted leaders also included JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar and Al-Umar Mujahideen chief Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar.

May 2: A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen HM cadre, Khursheed Ahmed alias Muneeb, is shot dead by cadres of the Harkat-ul-Jehad-al-Islami in a case of inter-gang feud at Bhandarkoot in the Thathri area of Doda district.

April 29: A 'battalion commander' of the HM, Bilal Ahmed Dar alias Mustafa, is killed by troops during a raid at Sambora on Srinagar-Pulwama Road. According to official sources, Bilal was involved in over 20 civilian killings in areas under Pulwama, Pampore and Awantipore police stations.

April 25: Troops kill a HM 'group commander', identified as Mohamed Maqbool alias Tanveer, at Sumbar in the Gool area of Udhampur district.

April 24: A 'group commander' of the HM outfit, identified as Qamar Din, is killed in an encounter with Police at Deval in the Udhampur district.

April 23: SFs shot dead a 'tehsil commander' of the HM, identified as Zubair Ahmed alias Billa alias Paswan, at village Sharekhi in the Doda district.

An activist of the HM outfit, Nazir Ahmed Jehangir, is killed along with a 'group commander' of the LeT by the troops of Rashtriya Rifles and Mahore police at village Deval in the Gulabgarh area of Udhampur district.

April 20: Troops killed a cadre of the HM, who sought refugee inside a mosque after attacking the troops at Babagund Akoora village in Anantnag district.

April 19: Two civilians, including village headman Haji Mohammed Sharif, are abducted from their houses and subsequently killed by two terrorists near their houses at Sildhar in the Gool area of Udhampur district. The terrorists escaped after the killings leaving behind a letter head of the HM outfit signed by Abu Sufiyan, a ‘commander’, which said the civilians were killed for being a village headman and informer of the security forces.

The Army arrests three cadres of the HM, Nissar Dar, Jahangir Khan and Mehraj, from the Baramulla district along with three hand grenades, one pistol along with one magazine, five rounds and a radio set.

April 17: Security forces arrest 10 cadres of the HM from the Sopore and Pattan localities in Baramulla district.

A HM cadre, Mohammed Bashir, surrenders before the troops at village Jaglanu in the Rajouri district.

Rajouri Police have detained Choudhary Bashir Ahmed, headman of village Sam Samad, for his alleged links with Aijaz Ahmed Zakki, a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Pir Panjal Regiment ‘financial commander’, who had surrendered before police a fortnight back.

April 14: SFs shot dead three HM cadres, including a ‘deputy district commander’ and ‘section commander’ Mohammed Ayub Rather, in an encounter at village Machar in the Doda district. Two soldiers are wounded during the encounter.

SFs arrest two persons, Abdul Gani and Niyamat-ullah, for giving shelter to three top HM terrorists, including two ‘commanders’, who were killed by the Army at Bhagwa in Doda district.

April 12: An Assistant Sub-Inspector of the Intelligence Bureau, Vinod Kumar, is killed while two police personnel were wounded in a terrorist attack near Tral in the Pulwama district. The HM claims responsibility for the attack.

April 11: Two cadres affiliated to the HM have reportedly surrendered to the army near the Line of Control in the Uri sector of Baramulla district.

Police arrests a HM cadre, Javed Ahmed Bhat, a resident of Thuroo in Udhampur district, who was studying Veterinary Science in a local institute at Talab Tillo in the outskirts of Jammu City for his involvement in running the outfit’s network in that area.

April 10: A HM cadre, identified as Fayaz Ahmed Bhat, is killed in an encounter with the SFs in the Kulgam area of Anantnag district.

April 9: Terrorists shot dead three members of a family, including two brothers, at village Challad in the Udhampur district. A woman, Rashida Begum, wife of Ghulam Mohammad, who was among the three persons killed, had been openly canvassing against the HM in the area as her brother Showkat Hussain was missing for last two years and was reported to have been forcibly recruited as a cadre by the outfit. J. L. Sharma of the Udhampur police said a letter was recovered from the site of killings, which had been written and signed by HM ‘divisional commander’ Mohammed Sharief alias Hikmatyar. Written in Urdu, it said the persons adopting "double standards" will be treated "like this".

Police neutralised a mobile communication network of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Pir Panjal Regiment with the recovery of four mobile telephones with BSNL SIM cards. A mobile number being used by the outfit’s ‘district commander’ Abdullah Inqullabi in Rajouri has also been identified.

April 8: The Army arrested a top functionary of the HM, identified as ‘financial controller’ Mohammed Shafi Sheikh alias Ali Mohammed alias Alia, from village Doru in the Baramulla district.

April 4: Aijaz Ahmed Zakki, an advocate-cum-village headman, who was operating as ‘financial commander’ of the HM Pir Panjal Regiment, surrendered before the police in Rajouri district.

April 2: The Rajouri district police neutralises a network of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Pir Panjal Regiment with the arrest of three persons, including two Government employees.

April 1: A HM terrorist, Tanveer Sheikh, is arrested while trying to attack SF personnel in the Darsu village of Baramulla district.

Another Hizb cadre, identified as Javed Ahmed Lone, is arrested from Arigam village in the Budgam district.

March 31: One personnel of the CRPF, Head Constable Madan Singh, is killed and five others sustained injuries when terrorists triggered an IED at Soura in the capital Srinagar. The HM claimed responsibility for the attack.

March 30: A HM cadre, Bashir Ahmed Malla, is killed during an encounter with the SF personnel at Kallipora in the Shopian area of Pulwama district.

March 29: Delhi Police arrests Meharuddin alias Javed alias Abib, an 'area commander' of the HM, from Azadpur market in north Delhi along with two kilograms of RDX, a detonator and a pistol.

A top Hizb-ul-Mujahideen cadre (code named Ghazanavi) is shot dead and his associate, Bashir Ahmed Rather alias Moin Khan, is arrested by the SF personnel in an encounter at Pasar in the Doda district.

Two HM cadres, identified as Javed and Abdul Hamid, surrender before the Army at Bhimber Gali in the Poonch district.

March 28: The Special Operations Group of Pulwama district police neutralises a network of the HM and arrest a top Hizb ‘commander’ Manzoor, along with his seven over-ground associates and a huge cache of arms and ammunition.

The Tank police near South Waziristan in Pakistan have reportedly arrested three cadres of the HM carrying explosives and ammunition.

March 26: SF personnel arrested Amanat Ali and Mohammed Saleem, two cadres of the HM outfit, from Bhatindi in Jammu. They were reportedly in direct contact with a Hizb ‘commander’ based at Shakargarh in Pakistan’s Sialkot district. A number of important documents and stamps of the outfit were recovered from their possession.

March 21: SFs kill a top ‘commander’ of the HM, identified as Mohammed Rafiq, at Rajpora in the Pulwama district.

March 20: Two HM terrorists, Farooq Ahmed Chopan alias Haroon and Shabir Ahmed Rather alias Raja Bhai, are killed in an encounter with the security forces (SFs) at Shahnagari Handwara in the Kupwara district.

March 19: A HM cadre, Sayed Ullah alias Khandari, is arrested during a search operation by the police at Deharan in the Doda district.

March 18: Nine soldiers and a woman are injured in a powerful car bomb blast at Rawalpora in the capital Srinagar. The HM claimed responsibility for the attack.

A hardcore HM cadre, Qutab Din, surrendered before the Army and police at Balakote in the Mendhar area of Poonch district.

March 16: The parents-in-law of a HM cadre, identified as Mohammed Amin Malik alias Yasin, who had surrendered on February 10, 2006 in Doda, are shot dead by two terrorists in their house at Bhajja in the Thathri area of Doda district.

Police arrested a suspected HM terrorist, identified as Ghulam Mohammed, from a bus at Kud while he was traveling from Doda to Jammu.

March 11: Two cadres of the HM, Sheeraz Ahmed Wagay and Mushtaq Ahmed Mir alias Charlie, are killed during an encounter with the security forces at Machoo Yaripora village in the Kulgam area of Anantnag district.

Terrorists hang a man, Imtiyaz Ahmed Bhat, to death after abducting him from Ganderbal in the Srinagar district. The HM claimed responsibility for the killing alleging that Imtiyaz was an Army informer. Imtiyaz's father Abdul Ahad was killed in a similar way by suspected terrorists in 2005.

Authorities in PoK are reported to have arrested eight terrorists in Muzaffarabad, including Mohammad Yousuf Shah alias Syed Salahuddin, chief of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and chairman of the United Jehad Council.

March 8: A cadre of the HM, identified as Shaheen Bhai of Pakistan, is killed by the troops during an operation in the Ganderbal-Kangan area of Srinagar district.

Shabeer alias Majid, a HM ‘district commander’, along with eight other terrorists are reported to have surrendered at Badami Bagh Cantonment in the capital Srinagar.

March 5: A ‘district commander’ of the HM, Mohammed Taj alias Pahalwan, surrenders before the security forces in Poonch district.

February 28: Two HM cadres, Ghulam Mohammed Malla alias Ayaz and Showkat Lone, are killed in an encounter with the SFs at Drabgam in the Pulwama district. Two soldiers are injured in the incident.

February 27: An HM ‘district commander’, identified as Aashiq Hussain Peer, is killed in an encounter with the troops in the Hadipora area of Baramulla district.

February 25: A young woman, Tasleen Akhter, is shot dead by terrorists in her house, few weeks after her fiancée, Tahir Ahmed, is beheaded, at village Sarhuti in the Poonch district. Official sources say that an HM cadre has also wanted to marry Tasleen. Terrorists have abducted and subsequently beheaded Tahir Ahmed on February 4-night.

February 24: SFs kill two HM terrorists, including ‘deputy district commander’ Mohammed Rafiq Khanday, during an encounter at village Kuchhal in Chatru area of Doda district. A Special Police Officer is also injured in the exchange of fire. Recoveries made from the slain terrorists include one AK-47 rifle, four magazines, five rounds, two Motorola radio sets, one binocular and one dictaphone.

February 23: Police arrests an HM cadre, Mushtaq Ahmed alias Zuber, from village Kuchhal in the Doda district along with two hand grenades. They also arrested another Hizb cadre, Mohammed Sharief, from Gosna in the same district. Two hand grenades are recovered from his possession.

February 22: Two terrorists are shot dead by the troops in an encounter at Gujjar Narh in the Surankote area of Poonch district. They were identified as Abu Irfan, an ‘area commander’ of the HM, and Zaffar Iqbal alias Sera-3, a cadre of the HM. One AK-56 rifle with nine magazines and 80 rounds, one AK-47 rifle, two mobile phones, one dictaphone, three hand grenades, two radio sets, one mobile charger, rubber stamps of Surankote Magistrate and Rs 2002 in Indian currency besides cassette player, camera roll and photographs are recovered from the incident site.

February 20: SF personnel kill two HM cadres in a gun-battle at Sagipora in the Sopore area of Baramulla district. Preliminary reports said that the duo was identified as Ali Mohammad and Aamir. Two AK-56 rifles and a couple of hand grenades are recovered from the incident site.

February 17: A Special Police Officer, Wali Mohammed, is shot dead by two terrorists, affiliated to the HM Pir Panjal Regiment, at his house in the remote village of Panglar in Rajouri district.

February 12: Three HM cadres are arrested from the Srinagar, Anantnag and Pulwama districts along with some arms and ammunition during separate raids.

February 11: SFs kill two HM cadres, identified as Manzoor Ahmed and Jameel Ahmed, in an encounter at village Mohanbaas in the Doda district. However, another cadre managed to escape towards a surrounding forest area. One AK rifle, two magazines, two hand grenades and one wireless set are recovered from the incident site.

February 10: Two HM cadres, one of whom is operating since 1994 and another since 2000, surrendered before the police in Doda district. They were identified as Mohammed Amin alias Yasin, a ‘tehsil commander’ of the outfit and Altaf Hussain. They hand over two AK-56 rifles, six magazines, 174 AK rounds and two Motorola wireless sets at the time of surrender.

February 6: An HM cadre, Irfan Ahmad Lone, surrenders before the police at Wusan in the capital Srinagar.

February 4: SFs kill a ‘battalion commander’ of the HM, Bashir Ahmed Mir alias Ganja alias Salman, during an encounter at village Chittibandi in the Bandipore area of Baramulla district. One AK-56 rifle, six magazines and 51 rounds are recovered from the incident site.

February 3: An HM cadre, Zafar Iqbal, surrenders before the SFs at Balakote in the Mendhar sector of Poonch district. He handed over one AK-47 rifle, one magazine, five rounds and two grenades at the time of surrender.

February 2: Two HM terrorists, ‘tehsil commander’ Mohammed Farooq alias Gulshan and Adnan Choudhary alias Tahir Kashmiri, are shot dead by the Army at Thannamandi in the Rajouri district. Two AK rifles, two hand grenades and two magazines are recovered from them.

February 1: Two HM terrorists, including ‘battalion commander’ Hilal Ahmad Magray and his deputy Riyaz Ahmad Bhat, are killed in an encounter with the police at Pattan in Baramulla district. One AK assault rifle, one pistol and four magazines with ammunition are recovered from the incident site.

January 31: Four HM cadres, including a Personal Security Officer of a National Conference leader, are arrested from the Bhaderwah and Ramban areas of Doda district along with some arms and explosives.

January 29: Two HM cadres, Rasheed Gujjar and Juma, are killed during an encounter that ensued after SFs launch a cordon-and-search operation at Ladi hamlet in the Pahalgam area of Anantnag district.

January 29: SFs arrest an HM cadre along with a pistol, one magazine and eight rounds from the Qazigund area of Anantnag district. Two more HM cadres are arrested from the Tral area of Pulwama district along with two grenades and some incriminating documents.

January 27: Unidentified terrorists lob a hand grenade towards a paramilitary unit near Amirakadal in the Civil Lines area of capital Srinagar. However, there is no loss of life reported. The HM claims responsibility for the attack.

January 27: Official sources said that two senior HM cadres surrendered at the district headquarters in Anantnag. They were identified as ‘company commander’ Mushtaq Ahmed Haroo alias Adil of Pushwara and ‘section commander’ Zahoor Ahmed Itoo alias Saahil of Dooru.

January 26: Two HM cadres are arrested during a search operation in the Pampore area of Pulwama district.

January 25: A soldier and an HM cadre are killed during a search operation at Badipora Dadsar in the Tral area of Pulwama district. Elsewhere in the district, another HM cadre, Mukhtar Ahmed Loray alias Usama, is found dead at Chawan in the Kellar area. Officials describe it as an incident of "group clash".

January 24: Four rockets are recovered from the detained relative of a HM cadre, Parveena, at Bijbehara in the Anantnag district. Parveena, whose brother and brother-in-law are HM cadres, is taken into custody along with her mother-in-law Khadeeja.

January 22: SF personnel recover the dead body of a HM cadre, Mohammed Sain, from the Gandoh area of Doda district. He is suspected to have been killed by the LeT.

January 22: An HM ‘deputy tehsil commander’, Abdul Hamid Malik alias Rehtul Islam, surrenders before the Army at Thathri in the Doda district along with one AK-56 rifle, two magazines, 50 rounds, one walkie-talkie, one Chinese grenade and one pouch.

January 21: Two HM cadres, Asif Mohd Bhat alias Umar Jan and Mohammed Ashraf Chichi alias Kesar Gul, surrender before the Army at Thathri in the Doda district. The duo also hand over one AK rifle, three magazines and 60 rounds, one wireless set, one UBGL gun and five hand grenades.

January 20: Three HM cadres, including two ‘section commanders’ Safdar Hussain Magray alias Tahir Inqullabi and Taskeen Ahmed, surrender before the SFs at Thathri in the Doda district. They also hand over one Pika gun with one box full of magazines and 267 rounds, one AK-47 rifle with three magazines and 40 rounds, one Chinese pistol with one magazine and four rounds, one .303 rifles with one magazine and 40 rounds, one rocket, one I Com radio set, one walkie-talkie and three Chinese hand grenades.

January 18: Two senior HM cadres surrender before security forces after an encounter at Tanta under the jurisdiction of Gandoh police station in Doda district.

January 15: An HM ‘district commander’, Farid Ahmed, is killed by the Army at Chalala Chaba in the Chanderkoot area of Doda district while his associate, Bashir Ahmed, is arrested. One AK rifle, one pistol, 20 Ak rounds and one wireless set are recovered from the incident site.

January 15: An HM ‘section commander’, Imtiyaz Ahmed Mir, is shot dead by his associates at village Kither in the Kishtwar area of Doda district.

January 11: Troops kill two cadres of the HM Pir Panjal Regiment in an encounter at Salwa in the Mendhar area of Poonch district. One soldier is wounded during the incident. Two AK rifles, four magazines and four hand grenades are recovered from the terrorists.

January 10:Two HM terrorists, including an ‘area commander’, are killed by the troops during an encounter at village Batugra in the Thathri area of Doda district. Senior Superintendent of Police (Doda), Prithvi Raj Manhas, informed that the slain HM cadres are identified as Atta Mohammed (code name Hafeez), an ‘area commander’ and Mukhtiar Ahmed (code name Naveed). One AK-47 rifle, one self-loading rifle, two AK magazines, one magazine and some documents are recovered from the incident site.

January 10: An HM network, planning strikes in the Jammu City on or before Republic Day on January 26, is neutralised by the Jammu Police and Special Operations Group with the arrest of three terrorists.

January 9: A front ranking HM cadre, Shareef-ud-Din Khan alias Zaffar, wanted in many terrorism-related incidents and active for the last 15 years in south Kashmir, is killed in an encounter with the troops at Sangam village in the Achabal area of Anantnag district. An AK rifle and some ammunition are recovered from his possession.

January 7: An HM ‘section commander’, identified as Aijaz Ahmed Keemu alias Adil, surrenders before the Army at Bhaderwah in the Doda district. He hands over two Chinese grenades at the time of surrender.

January 3: HM ‘section commander’, Abdul Karim, surrenders before the security forces in Doda district along with one AK rifle, three magazines, 70 rounds and one wireless set.

January 1: SFs arrest an HM cadre, Nazir Ahmad Regu, from his house at Khrew in the Pulwama district. Three hand grenades and 25 AK rounds are recovered from his possession.

2005

December 25: Troops of Rashtriya Rifles kill a HM cadre, Bashir Ahmed Tantray, during an encounter in the Dooru area of Anantnag district.

December 24: A ‘divisional commander’ and a ‘section commander’ of the HM surrenders before SFs along with a large quantity of arms and ammunition, including a wireless set which had direct communication with Pakistan installations, in the Bhaderwah area of Doda district. They were identified as Farooq Ahmed Sheikh alias Wasim alias Sakib alias Khalid, a ‘divisional commander’, and Abdul Mohammed Hafiz Bhat alias Hekmatyar, a ‘section commander’ of the outfit.

December 21: A top-level cadre of the HM Pir Panjal Regiment, Javed Mohammed, is arrested from village Kasbrari in the Mendhar area of Poonch district.

December 19: Four HM cadres are arrested from the Pulwama district.

December 16: Two terrorists and a soldier are killed in an encounter at Gurnuwali in the Darhal area of Rajouri district. One of the slain terrorists is suspected to be Sangar Pathan, a ‘divisional commander’ of the HM, who is allegedly involved in more than 25 killings in the Rajouri-Poonch sectors.

December 14: Six HM terrorists are killed in an encounter with the SFs at Pati Poshkar village in the Khag Beerwah area of Budgam district. Among those killed are two top-level HM cadres, Showket Ahmed Ganie alias Janbaz, a ‘district commander’, and Mohammad Sultan Bhat alias Usman, a ‘battalion commander’.

December 14: Liaquat Ali, a class eight student, was kidnapped and subsequently shot dead by HM terrorists after his refusal to join their ranks at Tanta in the Gandoh area of Doda district.

December 13: Police arrests two HM cadres, Mehraj-ud-din Sheikh and Mohammed Yousuf, and seize one pistol, one grenade launcher, one rocket booster, one remote control device and three rifle grenades from them.

December 10:  Police arrest two HM cadres from the Baramulla district and recover one Insas rifle, one AK rifle, a wireless set, eight grenades and some ammunition rounds.

December 9: Three grenades, 124 AK rounds, 108 SLR rounds and a large quantity of ration are recovered from an HM hideout at Kewar near Kishtwar in the Doda district.

December 5: An HM cadre, identified as Mohammed Shafi Bhat, is shot dead by SFs at Bijbehara in the Anantnag district.

December 2: HM militants abduct five members of the Village Defence Committee (VDC) from Tehwan village in the Samot area of Rajouri district. While one of the abducted persons manages to escape, four others are subsequently released. The militants, however, snatched four rifles and ammunition from the VDC members and set on fire the house of one of the members.

December 1: An HM cadre, Mohammad Anwar Lone, is killed by the troops at Hapathnar village in the Anantnag district. Some arms and ammunition are recovered from him.

November 30: An HM ‘section commander’, Mohammed Iqbal Sohail alias Yasir, surrenders at Sarbagni near Banihal in the Doda district. He hands over one AK rifle, three magazines, 91 rounds and one hand grenade at the time of surrender.

November 29: Police arrests Ashiq Hussain War alias Ameer, a ‘battalion commander’ of the HM, from Handwara in the Kupwara district along with one AK rifle, two magazines, 60 rounds of ammunition and two hand grenades.

November 28: An HM cadre is arrested from the Rajpora area in Pulwama district. A hand grenade is recovered from his possession. Further, two HM cadres, Zubair Ahmed Bhat alias Shabir and Maktoor Ahmed alias Owais Tauheed, surrender before the Army at Dachan in the Gool area of Udhampur district. They hand over one AK-56 rifle with four magazines and 110 rounds, one I Com radio set, three grenades, one pistol with three magazines and 18 rounds at the time of surrender. Later, they take the Army to a HM hideout at Mahakund in the Gool area from where troops recover one Pika gun, 90 rounds, 220 AK rounds, 823 rounds of 7.62mm, 255 Insas rounds and two grenade launchers.

November 26: Six HM terrorists, including three from Rajouri, two from Bandipore and one from Rafiabad in Baramulla district surrender before the Army.

November 23: An HM ‘district commander’, Farooq Ahmed Nak alias Irfan Laddoo, is shot dead by the Army during an encounter at village Dewal in the Udhampur district. Two associates of Farooq, however, escape during the encounter. Recoveries made from the possession of Farooq include one AK-47 rifle, one Thoraya satellite telephone, two AK magazines, six rounds, one I Com radio set, one digital diary, one binocular, 500 grams explosives, one HM letter pad and Rupees 856.

November 23: Three HM cadres, Tariq Ahmed, Noor Mohamed and Abdul Gaffar, surrender before the troops at Peer Badesar in the Rajouri district. Two of them hail from Doda district and one from Kupwara.

November 20: An ‘area commander’ of the HM Pir Panjal Regiment, Mubassaq Bashir, is shot dead by the SFs at Pathana Teer in the Mendhar area of Poonch district. One AK-74 rifle, four magazines, 79 rounds, one I Com radio set, two hand grenades and one diary are recovered from his possession.

November 18: Security forces arrest an HM cadre during a search operation at Tral in the Pulwama district along with one AK rifle and 20 rounds of ammunition.

November 17: A group of HM terrorists shot dead two civilians, both cousins, in their house at village Lancha in the Gool area of Udhampur district.

November 15: Taj Pahalwan, a top ranking ‘commander’ of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Pir Panjal Regiment, escapes during an encounter with the SFs at Hastiban Aliabad in the Surankote area of Poonch district.

November 13: Border Security Force (BSF) personnel shot dead two HM terrorists, Shah Jahan and Mohammed Dillawar, at village Gambhiri in the Gool area of Udhampur district. One AK rifle with two magazines and 50 rounds, one INSAS rifle with two magazines and 35 rounds, Rupees 1100 in Indian currency, one hand grenade and two pouches are recovered from the incident site.

November 12: Troops of the Rashtriya Rifles killed two HM cadres, Ghulam Hassan Khan alias Hilal and Gulzar Ahmed Mir alias Sikandar, during an encounter at Raipora in the Pattan area of Baramulla district. A soldier, Ranjit Singh, and a 16-year-old student, Aijaz Ahmed Dar, are also killed in the encounter and three civilians while a Major sustained injuries.

November 9: HM terrorists target Commanding Officer of the BSF 53 Battalion on the Awantipore-Tral road when his motorcade is returning to Tral from Awantipore. A powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast occurs but none in the convoy is hurt.

November 8: A SPO, Mushtaq Ahmed, is abducted from his house at village Barno in the Doda district and subsequently killed in captivity at Gawardi forests by two HM terrorists.

November 7: A ‘district commander’ of the HM, Shahnawaz Ahmed alias Nika Taxi, is killed by SFs near Kalipora in the Kulgam area of Anantnag district.

November 5: An HM cadre is arrested at Makarkot in the Doda district.

November 2: Two HM terrorists, Fayaz Naseem and Itfaq Ahmed, are shot dead by the SFs in an encounter at Marhoon in the Gandoh area of Doda district. One self loading rifle, two magazines, 33 rounds, one diary, one Motorola wireless set and three Chinese hand grenades are recovered from the incident site.

November 2: Jammu Police arrests an HM cadre, Gulzar Ahmed Wani, from Bhatindi and recovered one AK-47 rifle from his possession. Wani was a close associate of Khalid, a Hizb ‘commander’, and is suspected to be involved in a bomb blast case at Kulgam in the Anantnag district.

October 31: Two suspects are arrested by the Rashtriya Rifles from village Ganeti in the Doda district for helping HM terrorists, who have ambushed an Army team at Ganeti on October 26 killing two soldiers. They were identified as Rafiq Ahmed Mir and Mohd Yusuf, both residents of Ganeti.

October 30: An HM ‘tehsil commander’, Farid Ahmed Malik alias Harish, is killed in an encounter with the troops at Tandla in the Gandoh area of Doda district. While two of his associates manage to escape, one .303 rifle, two magazines and some ammunition were recovered from the incident site.

October 30: One HM cadre is killed by the SFs at Dungi Maragh in the Surankote area of Poonch district. One AK-47 rifle, three magazines and a wireless set are recovered from the incident site.

October 27: SF personnel arrest an HM over-ground worker from the Anantnag district and recover five kilograms of RDX and two AK magazines from him.

October 27: Police arrest Liaquat, a Special Police Officer-turned HM cadre, from Gandoh in the Doda district and recover two Self Loading Rifles from his possession.

October 26: A soldier is killed and 30 persons, including 10 civilians, sustain injuries when terrorists triggered an IED targeting a bus of the BSF at Omarabad near Lawaypora, on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway. A HM spokesperson, Junaid-ul-Islam, said that his outfit triggered the blast.

October 25: Mushtaq Ahmed, a constable of the Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police (6th Battalion), is arrested for allegedly working as an active HM militant. He is involved in the killing of a SF informer and a grenade attack in Kishtwar on August 15, 2005 besides other subversive activities.

October 24: Two HM terrorists, ‘tehsil commander’ Mohammed Sultan Ganja and Atta Mohammed alias Irfan, are killed and another surrenders while two soldiers are wounded during an encounter at Chakka Sarbaghni in the Banihal area of Doda district.

October 21: A ‘tehsil commander’ of the HM, Abdul Hamid alias Sher Khan, and a soldier are killed in an encounter at Khari in the Banihal area of Doda district. Two associates of Khan, however, manage to escape taking cover of the forest area. One AK rifle, four magazines, 91 rounds, one plastic compass, one binocular, seven letter pads of HuJI, three letter pads of the HM (Chenab division), rubber stamps of HM ‘battalion commander’ Aashiq and one mobile telephone are recovered from the incident site.

October 20: Two HM terrorists, including ‘district commander’ Abdul Majeed alias Shamsheer, are shot dead by the SFs in an encounter at Thannamandi in the Rajouri district. Two AK-47 rifles, four magazines and one wireless set are recovered from the incident site.

October 18: SFs have shot dead a HM terrorist at village Hella in the Ramban area of Doda district.

October 15: Two HM cadres are killed in a gun-battle with the troops at Pushwar on the outskirts of capital Srinagar. Two AK rifles and a wireless set are recovered from the incident site.

October 15: HM cadres, Noor Hussain, Mehmood Khan and Abdur Rasheed Chichi, die in an encounter with the SFs at Chuntiwari Aloosa in the Bandipore area of Baramulla district.

October 15: Mohammed Ashraf alias Hanfi, a tehsil (administrative subdivision) ‘commander’ of the HM, is killed while two of his associates are arrested from the Bhaderwah area of Doda district. Two Chinese hand grenades, one grenade launcher, one Motorola radio set and some medicines are recovered from the incident site.

October 12: Unidentified gunmen kill a former HM ‘commander’, Fayaz Ahmad Dar alias Fayaz Kandroo, at Sopore in the Baramulla district.

October 10: Ten persons belonging to four families are killed by HM terrorists at Dhara and Gabbar in the Budhal area of Rajouri district.

October 9: An HM cadre, Amin alias Arshad, is arrested by the SFs along with two grenades in Kishtwar.

October 6: The son of a former HM cadre, Riyaz Ahmed, is shot dead by a group of terrorists in his residence at Ratnipora in the Pulwama district.

October 6: HM cadre Shafkat Ahmed is killed by the security forces during an operation in the Gandoh area of Doda district.

October 5: Three members of a family are shot dead by two HM terrorists in their house at village Gumeri in the Gool area of Udhampur district.

October 5: SFs kill an HM ‘deputy district commander" of the Pir Panjal Regiment, Sofian Gaznabi, at Khadoon in the Kandi area of Rajouri district. One AK-47 rifle, three magazines, 40 rounds and one damaged wireless set are recovered from the incident site.

October 5: SF personnel killed a hardcore HM terrorist, Liaquat Ali, during an encounter at village Tessa in the Gandoh area of Doda district. Another Hizb cadre, identified as Javed Iqbal, surrenders after the encounter and hands over one AK-47 rifle and some ammunition.

October 2: An HM  ‘operational commander’, Abdul Rashid Gujjar, is killed by the SFs during an encounter at village Bismai Karamulla Top in the Pulwama district. One of his associates, identified as Mushtaq Gujjar, is arrested after he is wounded in the gunfight. One AK rifle, five magazines, 122 AK ammunition rounds, one hand grenade and two electronic detonators are recovered from the incident site.

October 2: A Class 11 female student is arrested along with an HM ‘divisional commander’, Masood Ahmed alias Yaqoob, in Doda district. 23-year old Rubina Bano was in close contact with top Hizb ‘commanders’ and was allegedly instrumental in shifting cash consignments and important messages of the outfit’s commanders to their cadre, said Prithvi Raj Manhas, Senior Superintendent of Police.

October 2: Two HM cadres, Shabir Ahmed alias Irfan and Mohammed Anjeel Shah, surrender before the Sui Gawari Army Garrison Commander in Doda district. They hand over two AK-47 rifles, four magazines, 150 rounds and a Motorola radio set to the SFs.

September 30: HM ‘section commander’ Mohammed Yusuf alias Umar Farooq and one of his unidentified associates are killed during an encounter with the SFs at village Bhargi in the Doda district. One AK-56 rifle, four hand grenades and two pouches are recovered from the incident site.

September 30: A self-styled HM commander, Ibrahim Dar, is killed in an encounter with the troops at Lawaypora on the Srinagar-Tangmarg road. Another terrorist is killed by the SFs at Handwara in the Kupwara district. However, one of his associates manages to escape from the incident site.

September 30: An HM cadre, Mushtak Ahmed Gujjar alias Irfan Bhai, is arrested by the Army at Darshipura in the Banihal area of Doda district. Further, SFs neutralise five terrorist hideouts in the Udhampur, Rajouri and Poonch districts and recover large caches of arms, ammunition and explosives.

September 29: SFs kill four terrorists, including a HM cadre, in a nine-hour-long encounter at Chak-e-Natnusa in the Kupwara district. Four assault rifles and four magazines are seized from the incident site.

September 29: An HM ‘platoon commander’, Ibrahim Dar, is arrested from the Batmaloo area of Srinagar.

September 28: Security forces arrest an HM cadre, identified as Zakir Hussain, from village Kaira in the Gandoh area of Doda district. A wireless set is recovered from his possession. Separately, another Hizb cadre, Mohammed Ayub, surrenders before Brig. A. K. Bakshi, Commander Poonch Garrison, along with an AK-47 rifle and a pistol.

September 26: Troops of the Rashtriya Rifles kill an HM  ‘section commander’, identified as Mohammed Hussain alias Abu Abrar, at Kanau in the Doda district. However, one of his associates escapes during the gun-battle.

September 25: The Army arrests an HM cadre, Farooq Bhat, at Bachraw in the Doda district after an encounter with a group of terrorists, two of whom escape during the gun-battle. One grenade launcher, one pouch, two magazines and 10 AK rounds are recovered from the incident site. Separately, another HM cadre, Mohammed Aslam, is arrested by the BSF from village Dhamkund in the Udhampur district. Two Chinese grenades, one AK magazine, one grenade launcher and two packets of explosives are recovered from his possession.

September 23: An HM  ‘section commander’, identified as Guddu Gujjar, is killed in an encounter with security forces at Achholbani in Dessa area of Doda district. Another injured terrorist, however, manages to escape from the encounter site. One AK rifle, two magazines and two grenades are recovered from the slain terrorist.

September 23: An HM terrorist, identified as Sayed Siraj-ud-Din Khaki alias Majid, is arrested from Patnala in the Doda district.

September 21: Four terrorists affiliated to the HM and HuM outfits are killed in an encounter with the security forces at Zainpora Sogan in the Shopian area of Pulwama district. A soldier sustains injuries during the exchange of fire. Official sources identify the slain terrorists as a HM ‘battalion commander’ Javed Ahmed Thoker, an HM cadre Ashiq Hussain Bhat, a HuM ‘commander’ Jamsheed and a HuM cadre Shoaib.

September 21: SFs arrest four HM cadres, identified as Mohammad Yousuf Dar, Hilal Ahmad Shah, Mohammad Ashraf Ahanger and Bashir Ahmad alias Ashiq, from the Budgam district and seize a cache of arms and ammunition, including 60 kilograms of explosives and one pistol from their possession. The troops also arrest two suspects, Abdul Gani and Rehmatullah, from village Suranda in the Gool area of Udhampur district.

September 20: An HM terrorist, identified as Mohammed Sadiq alias Wasim Bhai, is killed in an encounter with the security forces in the Kupwara district. One AK assault rifle, two magazines and some ammunition are recovered from his possession.

September 19: Two HM terrorists abduct a civilian, Abdul Rashid Gujjar, from his house at the Bajmasta area in the Doda district and subsequently shoot him dead.

September 18: Three HM cadres are killed in an operation by the SFs at Lashtiyar village in the Kupwara district. They are later identified as Mushaq Ahmed Lone alias Latram, Ghulam Mohiuddin Ghanai and Abid. Three AK-series rifles, six magazines and three hand grenades are recovered from their possession.

September 17: The 'financial controller' of HM, Masood Ahmed Natnu alias Yunus Sadiqui, is killed by the troops at village Dama in the Doda district. One pistol and one magazine are recovered from his possession.

September 15: An HM cadre, Fareed Ahmed Kamran, is killed by the troops during a search operation at Neeli forest area in the Doda district. One .303 rifle, one magazine, four rounds, one radio set and two hand grenades are recovered from the incident site.

September 13: SF personnel arrest four suspects, including a HM cadre, during three search operations in the Doda and Rajouri districts. From two suspects arrested in Rajouri, the troops recover Rupees 4.13 lakh in cash.

September 11: One BSF personnel is killed by the HM terrorists at Chadoora in the Budgam district.

September 10: An HM  ‘section commander’, Nazir Ahmed alias Nayeem, surrenders before the police in Doda. He hands over one AK-47 rifle, three magazines, 90 rounds and one pouch at the time of surrender.

September 8: A surrendered HM cadre, Abdul Rashid, is abducted and later shot dead by the terrorists near Punala forests in Doda district.

September 6: An HM ‘section commander’, Mohammed Rafiq, is killed in an encounter with the SFs at village Dugga Banjoi in the Bhalla area of Doda district. One AK rifle, three magazines, 11 rounds of ammunition, one wireless set and two hand grenades are recovered from the incident site.

September 5: SFs have shot dead a HM cadre, Mohammad Sheikh Abbas alias Samiullah, in an encounter at Zangalpora in the Anantnag district. A Chinese pistol, its magazine, four rounds, an AK magazine, six rounds and a hand grenade are recovered from the incident site.

September 4: SF personnel arrest an HM’s ‘operations commander’, identified as Mushtaq Ahmad Thokar, from Damhal Hanjipora in the Anantnag district. Four hand-grenades, two grenade launchers, three AK magazines and 60 rounds of ammunition are recovered from his possession.

September 3: An HM terrorist, identified as Adil Pathan, is killed in an encounter with the security force personnel at Zainapora in Pulwama district. An AK-56 rifle, four magazines and 90 rounds are recovered from the possession of the slain terrorist.

August 31: The police arrests Javed Ahmed Rather, a ‘divisional commander’, and Javed Ahmed Bhat alias Azmal, a ‘district commander’ of the HM, from a hotel along Residency Road in Jammu City. The duo are close confidants of the HM ‘supreme commander’ Syed Salahuddin. Police sources say that the arrests occur after they secure specific information that the duo have taken a room on rent in Hotel Premier before leaving for Nepal where they have convened a meeting of top HM ‘commanders’ from Pakistan to discuss future strategy.

August 30: A ‘deputy battalion commander" of the HM, Shamas-ud-Din alias Basharat, is shot dead by the SF personnel in an encounter at village Bharneli in the Mahore area of Udhampur district. One AK-56 rifle, three magazines, 12 rounds of ammunition, seven grenades and one radio set are recovered from his possession.

August 29: An HM cadre, identified as Mushtaq Ahmed Tak alias Khubeb, is killed while troops raid a terrorist hideout in the Kulgam area of Anantnag district. One pistol, a magazine and five grenades are recovered from the incident site.

August 29: A 24-year old youth, Murtaza Ali Shah, is arrested from the Thannamandi area in Rajouri district on specific information that he is working for ‘Sky Fighter’, a ‘district commander’ of the HM Pir Panjal Regiment. Further, two suspected terrorists, Sarab Gustaan and Rashid Munir, are arrested by the troops during a search operation at village Morha in the Mendhar area of Poonch district. Another suspect, Salam Mohammed, is arrested from the Mahore area of Udhampur district following reports that he is operating as an over-ground worker for the terrorists.

August 25: An HM cadre, Iqbal Gul alias Salahuddin Ayoubi aka Bihari, is killed during a search operation by the troops at village Damhal Hanjipora in the Anantnag district. One of his associates, Shabeer Ahmed Ghanai alias Dawood, who has managed to break the cordon, is also subsequently killed at Lassarpora Kulgam.

August 25: Two HM cadres, Rizwan Bhai and Riyaz Ahmed Kalsi, are shot dead by the SFs at Palapathri village in the Pulwama district.

August 24: An HM cadre, Gulzar Ahmad, is killed during a gun-battle with the SFs at village Wasoora in the Pulwama district. While a civilian is also injured when he is caught in the crossfire, SF personnel recover an AK assault rifle and a magazine from the incident site.

August 22: A front ranking HM cadre, Mushtaq Ahmad Tantray, is killed during an encounter with the troops at Salleh village in the Anantnag district.

August 21: Two motorcycle-borne cadres of the HM, Mushtaq Ahmad Tantary and Shabir Ahmed, are shot dead by the troops at Manigam in the Ganderbal area of the Srinagar district. Separately, another HM cadre, Shabir Ahmed Shah, is killed in an encounter with the SFs at Salia-Aishmuqam in the Anantnag district.

August 20: An HM terrorist, Irshad Ahmed alias Fidayeen, is shot dead by troops at village Gawas in the Doda district. One .303 rifle is recovered from the slain terrorist.

August 19: An HM ‘section commander’, Uttam Singh alias Saifullah, is killed by troops at village Thaloran in Kilotran area, about five kms from Gandoh in Doda district. One AK rifle and two magazines are recovered from the slain terrorist.

August 18: An HM terrorist, identified as Mohammed Azad, is arrested from the Surankote area of Poonch district on specific information that he is involved in at least four grenade blasts in the Surankote town and outskirts during the past few months.

August 17: The police arrests an HM ‘commander’, Nazir Ahmed, from village Garhi Kamet in the Doda district when was heading towards a house to settle a family dispute. One AK rifle is seized from his possession.

August 16: An over-ground worker of the HM, identified as Shamshuddin, is allegedly shot dead by his rivals at village Bhagrana in the Kishtwar area of Doda district.

August 15: A suspected HM cadre lobs a grenade outside the office of Sub Divisional Magistrate in Kishtwar, Doda district, causing injuries to two persons.

August 14: An over-ground worker of the HM and two HuM terrorists are arrested at villages Turk Wanigam and Kadagam-Zainapora in the Shopian area of Pulwama district on August 14 and 100 rounds of ammunition, a wireless set and four hand grenades were recovered from them.

August 12: HM cadres kill two youths, Mohammed Ashraf Hajam and Parvez Ahmed at village Kulhand in the Doda district.

August 12: Udhampur police arrests a HM terrorist, identified as Mohammed Latief, from village Kotli Pain in Rhembal area.

August 12: The Army arrests four people for helping a group of HM terrorists in treatment, shelter and transporting them in Doda district.

August 7: An HM terrorist, Abdul Rehman Khan, and a civilian, Akhtar Ahmed, are killed while one soldier sustains injuries in an encounter between terrorists and the troops at village Dawan Behak in the Bandipora area of Baramulla district.

August 2: An HM ‘commander’, Mushtaq Ahmed Khan alias Shahnawaz, is allegedly killed during a group clash with the LeT at Acchabal in the Kokernag area of Anantnag district.

August 1: Two HM cadres, identified as ‘district commander’ Mohammad Rafeeq Piswal alias Fighter Khan and Mohammad Abbas Khan, are killed by the SFs during a cordon-and-search operation at Arah village in the Kulgam area of Anantnag district.

August 1: Three HM cadres, including ‘district financial chief’ Ghulam Hassan Mir alias Arshid, are killed by the SFs who laid an ambush in the Handwara area of Kupwara district.

July 31: Troops of the Rashtriya Rifles kill a ‘battalion commander’ of the HM, Irshad Ahmed Dar alias Bitta alias Khalid, during an encounter near Sirigufwara in the Anantnag district. A loaded pistol and a mobile phone are recovered from his possession. Elsewhere in the same district, another Hizb cadre, Abdul Waheed Bhat alias Nikka, is shot dead by the SFs at Kulgam.

July 28: SFs shot dead a HM cadre, Ghulam Ali alias Rezwan, in an encounter at Sikadi Bhatta in the Kishtwar area of Doda district. One AK-47 rifle and 20 rounds of ammunition are recovered from the incident site.

July 27: SF personnel kill two HM cadres in a gun-battle at Malikpora in the Bandipore area of Baramulla district. They are identified as ‘deputy district commander’ Afaq Bhai alias Khalid of Pakistan and Irshad Ahmed Dar, a resident of Bandipore.

July 27: A surrendered HM cadre, Mohammed Farooq alias Imran, is shot dead by a Hizb terrorist in the house of his in-laws at Koti Kishanpur in the Billawar area of Kathua district.

Farooq, a ‘launching commander’ of the HM surrenders before the Director General of Police at Kathua along with eight top terrorists.

July 26: A civilian, Chuni Lal, is shot dead by suspected HM cadres in his house at Chasana in the Mahore area of Udhampur district.

July 24: Two HM cadres, including an unnamed ‘deputy district commander’, are shot dead by the SF personnel at Duchetar in the Marmat area of Doda district. One AK-47 rifle with two magazines and 23 rounds, one UBGL with three shells and one Kenwood wireless set are recovered from the incident site. The death toll of terrorists’ in the July 23-operation at Bhatta Durrian in the Mendhar area of Poonch district has reached three.

July 20: A Major of the Indian Army and two soldiers are among five people who die and 17 persons are wounded when a suspected suicide bomber rams an explosive-laden car into an Army vehicle near Burnhall School in the high-security civil lines area of Srinagar. Defence spokesperson Lt Col V. K. Batra said that Major Kapil Vinayak and two soldiers, Subash Chandra and Ram Krishan, were killed while four soldiers sustained injuries in the explosion. A civilian who died was identified as Nisar Ahmed Bhat, an employee of the Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology. The fifth person is believed to be the suicide bomber. The HM claimed responsibility for the attack.

July 18: A former HM cadre, Nazir Ahmad Khan, is abducted and later shot dead by a group of unidentified terrorists at village Kiloora in the Pulwama district.

July 16: Security forces arrest a HM cadre, Imam Tariq, from village Kandi in the Budhal area of Rajouri district. Two kg of explosives and one hand grenade are recovered from him.

July 15: With the arrest of 11 HM terrorists, police neutralise a Hizb module suspected to be behind the assassination of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s nephew in Anantnag district on May 1, 2005. The arrested are also reportedly involved in killing the brother of Minister of State for Home, Abdul Rehman Veeri.

July 14: A self-styled divisional commander of the HM, identified as Luqman, is killed along with two of his associates in an encounter with the SFs at Shogund village in Anantnag district. Two AK assault rifles, eight magazines, two hand grenades and 150 rounds of ammunition are recovered from the incident site.

July 12: Unearthing a terrorist plot to attack the capital’s Palam Air Force Station, the Delhi Police arrests a HM terrorist and a Deputy Director of the J&K Government and seize a large quantity of arms and ammunition.

July 10: A ‘section commander’ of the HM, identified as Mohammed Rafiq, is killed by the police near Bhatta in the Doda district. Two AK magazines, two rounds, one hand grenade and a pouch are recovered from him. However, two of his associates, in an injured condition, manage to escape from the incident site.

July 8: During search operations, SF personnel apprehend two over ground activists for providing shelter to HM terrorists and also acting as their guides in the Lahikot Handwara area of Kupwara district.

July 8: The troops kill three HM cadres at Zaipora in the Kulgam area of Anantnag district. Three AK rifles, two pistols, two mobile phones, one UBGL and one wireless set are seized from the slain terrorists, who were identified as Raja Aurangzeb alias Raju Afghani, Abdul Hamid and Mohammad Altaf.

July 8: Two over-ground HM workers are arrested from Kupwara and Handwara.

July 7: Security forces disrupt a meeting of atleast 12 HM terrorists at Zaipora village in the Kulgam area of Anantnag district and kill three terrorists, while the remaining nine were trapped.

July 6: The troops kill HM ‘district commander’ Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Dar alias Khadim during a raid on his hideout in the Saribal forest area of Baramulla district.

July 5: A self-styled district commander of the HM, Shabir Ahmad Mir alias Danish, who is wanted in connection with a number of terrorist incidents, is arrested from Drugmulla village in the Kupwara district. An AK assault rifle, two magazines and 45 rounds of ammunition are seized from his possession.

July 3: Troops of the Rashtriya Rifles and Anantnag Police kill three HM terrorists during an encounter that ensued after a cordon-and-search operation is launched on the basis of disclosures made by a detained terrorist at Marhama in the Bijbehara area of Anantnag district.

July 2: Troops shot dead four more terrorists in the Palunia forests of Rajouri district taking the terrorist' death toll in the two day long gun battle to six. A huge cache of arms and ammunition is recovered after the encounter in which a Major is injured. Out of the six slain terrorists, four belonge to the Al Badr outfit and two to HM outfit.

July 1: Troops of the Rashtriya Rifles shot dead a Pakistani cadre of the HM, Jamal Bhai alias Furqan, near Letapora in the Awantipore area of Pulwama district.

June 30: The troops kill an HM cadre, Farooq Ahmed, during an operation at village Danda in the Bhaderwah area of Doda district. One AK-56 rifle, two magazines and 10 rounds of ammunition are recovered from the incident site.

June 28: The SFs rescue two youths, including a VDC member, from the captivity of HM cadres in the Liccha forest area of Doda district.

June 27: An HM ‘divisional commander’, Showkat Ahmed alias Waris aka Shakeer, is shot dead by the SFs in the house of a harbourer at Kundgawani in the Kishtwar town of Doda district. He is reportedly involved in a series of attacks on the SFs, including the killing of Deputy Superintendent of Police Mushtaq Ahmed and six police personnel in an IED blast in Doda on July 2, 2004.

June 27: Police arrests a HM cadre, Bilal Ahmed Magray, before he can lob a grenade targeting the Minister of State for Home, Abdur Rehman Veeri, at Mirhama near Bijbehara town.

June 27: SFs kill two HM terrorists, identified as Abdul Gani Ganai alias Ashiq and Muddasar Hussain Shah, during an encounter in the Chowkibal area of Kupwara district.

June 20: A front ranking HM cadre, Ghulam Rasool Wagay alias Kachguru, is killed during an operation by the troops in the Mirbazar area of Anantnag district. Sources said that Kachguru has been operating since 2001 and is allegedly responsible for over 50 incidents of attacks on security forces and Police besides targeting mainstream politicians and surrendered terrorists.

June 20: Two HM cadres, Farooq Ahmed and Abdul Qayoom Malik, surrender before the security forces along with a large cache of arms and ammunition in the Ramban area of Doda district.

June 17: Unidentified persons trigger an IED blast at the house of a HM terrorist, Pervez Ahmed Dar, at Malangpura village, close to the Indian Air Force base in Awantipore area injuring the terrorist's parents and three other family members.

June 16: Two HM terrorists, including Noor-ud-Din alias Furkan, a ‘section commander’, are shot dead by the troops in an encounter at Ramban in the Doda district. Two AK rifles and some ammunition are recovered from the incident site.

June 15: Two HM cadres, Rafeeq Ahmed Dar and Bashir Ahmed Ganai, are killed during an encounter that ensued after troops launched a cordon-and-search operation at Seer Chakpora in the Wandhama area of Srinagar district. Two AK rifles and two damaged wireless sets are recovered from the encounter site.

June 11: A joint search party of the BSF and Army kills a 'company commander' of the HM, Mohammad Ashraf Mir alias Majid, in an encounter at village Seer Jageer in the Pulwama district. An AK rifle, three magazines, four hand grenades and a wireless set are recovered from the slain terrorist.

June 9: Two HM terrorists are killed in a gun-battle at Kandori nullah in the Gulabgarh area of Udhampur district. Two AK rifles, two hand grenades, one wireless set, five AK magazines and 110 rounds and two credit cards are recovered from the slain terrorists.

June 7: Pulwama district security forces kill a HM terrorist, identified as Gulzar Ahmed Bhat alias Saleem, in an encounter at Larmoo Poshwan in Awantipore area.

June 6: A Defence spokesman says that four terrorists are killed in a gunbattle with SFs at Galkloo-Arigam in Garoora area of Bandipora in Baramulla district. The spokesman identifies three of the deceased as Irshad Ahmad Khan of JeM, Naseer Ahmad and Javed Ahmad Lone of HM. Three AK Rifles, 14 magazines, 438 rounds, an UBGL and eight hand-grenades are recovered from the slain terrorists.

May 31: SFs arrest an HM cadre, Mohammed Iqbal, from the Kishtwar Bus Stand in Doda district when he is planning to throw a grenade targeting a SF picket.

May 23: A ‘section commander’ of the HM, identified as Liaquat Ali (code Osama), is killed by the SFs during an encounter at Balooni nullah in the Bhaderwah area of Doda district. One AK-47 rifle with three magazines and 56 rounds, one Motorola wireless set, one pouch, Rupees 17,750 currency, one watch and two blankets are recovered from the incident site. HM’s ‘district commander’, Farooq Ahmed Sheikh, escapes during the encounter.

May 30: Troops have shot dead an HM ‘battalion commander’, Zahoor Ahmad Ganai alias Viky, in an encounter at Authroosa in Baramulla. One AK rifle, one magazine, a wireless set and 12 rounds of ammunition are recovered from the incident site.

May 29: Two HM cadres, Farooq Ahmed Bhat and Shamas Din, are shot dead by the SFs during an encounter at village Dharam in the Gool area of Udhampur district. Two AK rifles and one wireless set are recovered from the incident site.

May 28: Terrorists detonate an explosive-laden car on the Khanabal-Pahalgam road in Anantnag town of south Kashmir injuring 13 civilians and seven CRPF personnel. Later, HM spokesperson, Junaidul Islam, rings up newspaper offices and claims responsibility for the blast.

May 26: The police neutralise a HM training centre killing five terrorists at Sui Patyala, about 32 kilometers from Gandoh, bordering Himachal Pradesh, in the Doda district. According to Doda Police, while the terrorists’ identity is not established so far, a large cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from the training camp.

May 23: A ‘section commander’ of the HM, identified as Liaquat Ali (code Osama), is killed by the SFs during an encounter at Balooni nullah in the Bhaderwah area of Doda district. One AK-47 rifle with three magazines and 56 rounds, one Motorola wireless set, one pouch, Rupees 17,750 currency, one watch and two blankets are recovered from the incident site. However, HM ‘district commander’, Farooq Ahmed Sheikh, escapes during the encounter.

May 23: BSF personnel kill an HM cadre, Farooq Ahmed Sheikh, during an encounter at Arabal Nikus in the Pulwama district.

May 21: An HM terrorist, Abdul Hameed Parray, is killed in a grenade explosion at Kulgam in the Anantnag district.

May 10: Two HM terrorists, Shakir Ahmed Dar and Farooq Ahmed, surrender before the security forces in Doda. Shakir deposits two hand grenades, one pouch and a radio set at the time of his surrender.

May 9: SFs shot dead three HM terrorists during two encounters in the Doda district. They are identified as Mohammed Shaffi Mir, Akhter Hussain alias Tahir, and Ghulam Nabi. Recoveries made from the incident sites include one AK rifle with three magazines and 58 rounds, one pistol with one round, six hand grenades and one radio set, one SLR, one magazine, five rounds, two hand grenades and Rupees 173 in Indian currency.

Another HM cadre, identified as Bashir Ahmed alias Khalid, is killed by the Army at village Gawari in the Chanderkoot area of Doda district. One AK rifle, two magazines and seven grenades were recovered from his possession.

May 6: A day after the HM admits that 14 of its cadres are killed in the gun-battle with SFs at Lawaypora Khayar in the Baramulla district the Army says that it has recovered 10 bodies. A Defence spokesperson says that search operations are underway to recover eight more bodies of the terrorists killed.

May 5: Two terrorists, including Abu Mussa Khan, a ‘district commander’ of the HM, are killed during an encounter with the police at village Chandyal in the Mendhar area of Poonch district. A civilian was also killed in the encounter. One AK-56 rifle, one AK-47 rifle, seven magazines and one dairy are recovered from the incident site.

May 2: An HM cadre, Farooq Ahmed, is arrested from village Poohi in the Kishtwar area of Doda district along with two hand grenades.

April 29: Two HM cadres, Farooq Ahmed Shaker and Firdous Ahmed Shah, are arrested during a search operation at Puhi in the Doda district.

April 27: An HM cadre is shot dead by the security forces at village Trang in the Udhyanpur area of Doda district. One pistol, six rounds of ammunition and one magazine are recovered from the incident site.

April 25: The HM ‘chief’, Syed Salahuddin, accuses the Pakistani Government of sidelining the Kashmir issue with India. He said: "Pakistan seems to have changed its stance on Kashmir while India is still determined on its stance." While observing that they can hold talks with India over the Kashmir issue, he adds that New Delhi should first declare the territory a "disputed region." The Hizb chief also says that Pakistan will not benefit from negotiations with India over Kashmir. "If anyone thinks that any result can come in favour of Pakistan on the negotiating table, they are living in fool’s paradise," he added.

April 24: An Army porter, Abdul Ahmad, is killed by a group of three suspected HM terrorists, at his house in the Mahore area of Udhampur district.

April 22: During an encounter that occurs at village Banshal in the Doda district, a HM cadre, Nazir Ahmed Lone, is shot dead by the SFs. One pistol, one magazine, five rounds of ammunition, an UBGL and two UBGL grenades are recovered from the incident site.

April 21: An HM cadre, Tanveer Hussain, surrenders before the Army in the Thannamandi area of Rajouri district. He hands over one AK rifle and some ammunition at the time of surrender.

April 19: Security forces kill two HM cadres, Javed Ahmed Pir, a ‘divisional commander’ and Vikas Ahmed, during an encounter at Darpora Khas in the Kandi area of Kupwara district. Two AK-56 rifles are recovered from the incident site.

April 17: Security forces neutralise an HM hideout at Bunjwa in the Thathri area of Doda district and seize one 303 rifle, two pencil cells, and some ration items.

April 14: Three HM cadres, including ‘company commander’ Mohammad Yusuf Gorsi alias Gazi, are killed by the SFs during an operation at Dangarpora in the Pulwama district. A Major and one soldier sustained injuries in the incident.

April 10: Two soldiers are killed during a terrorist ambush at Shalpora in the Pattan area of Baramulla district. In retaliation, the troops kill one unidentified terrorist and recover one AK rifle, one pistol and one mobile phone. At least three terrorists of the group are believed to have escaped. A spokesperson of the HM claimed responsibility for the ambush.

April 8: Security forces shot dead an HM cadre at Nasoo Bandipora in the Baramulla district. One AK rifle, three magazines, 110 rounds of ammunition, four UBGLs and one wireless set are recovered from the slain terrorist.

April 5: Security forces arrest two suspected HM terrorists, Shabir Ahmed and Mohammed Hanief, and recover three kilograms of RDX from their possession at village Khangna in the Doda district. Troops also recover one AK magazine, 70 rounds of ammunition, 150 Pika rounds and one I Com radio set antenna from Lakharwali Murhi in the Thannamandi area of Rajouri district.

April 4: Two top HM cadres are shot dead by the troops during an encounter at village Pangai in the Rajouri district. A civilian is also killed in the exchange of firing while another is wounded. Two AK rifles, three magazines, two grenades and one radio set are recovered from the incident site.

March 27: A ‘divisional commander’ of the HM, identified as Ghulam Mohammed Malik alias Assad Malik alias Kamran, dies during an encounter with the SF personnel at Drushpura forest in the Kupwara district. One AK 56 rifle, a radio set, three hand grenade, three magazines and 63 rounds of ammunition are recovered from the incident site.

March 25: An HM cadre, Mohammed Ashraf, is killed during an encounter with the troops in the Pahalgam area of Anantnag district.

March 24: An HM cadre, Munir Hussain, surrenders before the SFs at Channa in the Kalaban area of Poonch district.

March 23: One civilian is killed and six persons, including four soldiers, sustain injuries when terrorists trigger a car bomb explosion near the Sant Nagar area of capital Srinagar. The HM claimed responsibility for the blast in a telephone call to local news agencies.

March 22: A ‘company commander’ of the HM, Ashiq Hussain Shah, is killed in a gun battle with the troops at Vail village in the Aeshmuqam area of Anantnag district. One AK rifle along with three magazines and a grenade launcher are recovered from the incident site.

March 12: Security forces kill HM ‘divisional commander (Finance)' and 'launching chief' Farooq Ahmed War, alongwith his bodyguard, in a gunbattle in Machhipora forest area, near Batkoot village of Handwara in the Kupwara district.

March 10: An HM ‘commander’, Mubassar Hussain Sheikh, is arrested from Malothi in the Bhaderwah area of Doda district.

March 9: An HM cadre, Hashim Khan, is killed during an encounter at Veeri Nowbugh in the Bijbehara township of Anantnag district. However, two of his associates manage to escape from the incident site.

March 8: SF personnel kill two HM cadres, Shahid Hussain and Sayeed Saidullah, during an encounter at Chatru in the Doda district. Two AK rifles and an unspecified quantity of ammunition are recovered from the incident site.

March 7: Six terrorists are killed during an operation by the SF personnel in the snow-clad Dooraswani forest area of Kupwara district. Nazir Kakkar, a ‘battalion commander’ of the HM and one of those killed, is allegedly responsible for the September 11, 2002-assassination of former Law Minister Mushtaq Ahmed Lone. Six AK-56 rifles and an equal number of wireless sets are recovered from the incident site.

March 4: In an encounter at a terrorist hideout in the Mattan area of Anantnag district, three HM cadres are killed. However, two more Hizb cadres manage to escape from the incident site.

SF personnel also shot dead three more HM terrorists, including ‘deputy divisional commander’ Rafiq Kachroo, who is the son of an Excise Department officer Ghulam Rasool, at village Khari in the Banihal area of Doda district. Two AK rifles, one pistol and a radio set are recovered from the slain terrorists’ possession.

March 2: A ‘deputy district commander’ of the HM Pir Panjal Regiment, identified as Aijaz Ahmed, is among two terrorists killed during an encounter with the SF personnel at village Ari in the Poonch district.

Police arrests an HM ‘section commander’, Liaquat Hussain Bhat alias Minta alias Salman, from village Puneja in the Bhaderwah area of Doda district. One AK rifle, three magazines, 113 rounds of ammunition and one Chinese grenade are recovered from his possession.

February 28: Three holed up HM terrorists escape after killing both the soldiers, who had been captured and disarmed by them during a gun-battle in the Matribugh village of Pulwama district. All the three Hizb cadres, who had been trapped by the troops in the house of one Master Inayatullah at Matribugh, managed to escape.

February 28: The troops kill an HM cadre during an encounter in the snow-bound Dorapeth village of Doda district.

February 26: Terrorists set off an IED at Wanpoh near an underconstruction railway crossing in Kulgam area of Anantnag district causing slight damage to a passing CRPF armoured vehicle. Later, the HM claimed responsibility for the blast.

February 25: In an encounter that occurred at Karam Katha in the Gool area of Udhampur district, two HM terrorist are killed. Two AK rifles and some ammunition are recovered from their possession.

February 24: During a encounter at Sali village in the Anantnag district, two HM cadres, identified as Gul Mohammad Dhobi and Idrees Ahmed, are killed.

February 21: Two top HM terrorists, including ‘battalion commander’ Jubair Hussain alias Nadeem, are shot dead by the police at village Tamlad in the Kathua district. Three police personnel are wounded in the operation. Two AK-47 rifles, two pistols, eight grenades, four wireless sets and a large quantity of diaries, pouches and matrix sheets are recovered from the incident site.

February 19: An HM terrorist, identified as Mohammed Atta Kumar and his two associates, Gurez Begum and Mohammed Abdullah, are arrested by the security forces from Doda.

February 17: An HM cadre, Bahadur Khan alias Kaleemulla, is killed by the troops during a cordon-and-search operation at Suyan Sadnaar in the Rafiabad area of Baramulla district. A civilian, Mohammad Maqbool Malla, in whose house the terrorist was present, also died in the cross-fire.

February 14: Zakir Hussain, an over ground worker of the HM, is arrested at Seeldhar in the Mahore area of Udhampur district.

February 12: Three terrorists of the HM Pir Panjal Regiment outfit are killed during an encounter with the SF personnel in the Surankote area of Poonch district. Official sources in Poonch later identified the slain terrorists as Abu Kareem, Abu Iqbal and Sikandri, hailing from Pakistan.

February 8: Official sources said that two detained HM cadres, Zahoor Ahmed Waza and Ghulam Hassan Khan, had escaped from police custody at Shergarhi in Srinagar.

February 4: An HM terrorist, Humza Danyab, is killed in an encounter with security forces at Gambhir Mugalan bridge in Manjakote area of Rajouri district. One AK rifle, two magazines, two Chinese grenades, one pouch, 60 AK rounds and a diary are recovered from his possession.

February 4: An HM ‘district commander’, Abdul Aziz Khan alias Ali alias Babar, is killed during an encounter with the security forces at Reshi Bazaar in the Anantnag district.

January 25: Three soldiers sustained minor injuries in an IED blast at Paibug in Anantnag district. The HM claimed responsibility for the blast.

January 24: Two HM terrorists, including ‘district commander’ Zulfikar Hussain Thokar alias Qasim and Yasin Pathan, are killed during an encounter that ensued after police launched a cordon-and-search operation at Urpara village in the Pulwama district.

January 21: Two HM cadres are killed and two BSF personnel sustained injuries during an encounter with the security forces at village Lancha in the Gool area of Udhampur district.

January 10: SFs killed both the HM cadres, who were trapped in a search operation at Kellam village in the Kulgam area of Anantnag district a day earlier. They were later identified as Sabzar Ahmed Wagay alias Aamir and Javed Ahmed Dar alias Mitha. Two AK-56 rifles, one wireless set and two grenades were recovered from the incident site.

January 9: An HM cadre, Abdul Karim alias Yasin, surrendered before the security forces’ two hours after killing another top cadre of the outfit, Ghulam Ali, in the Lancha area of Udhampur district. He also handed over one AK-47 rifle, four magazines and 114 rounds of ammunition at the time of surrender.

January 8: An HM  ‘district commander’ Khalid Chitrali is shot dead by the police during an encounter in the Mandi area of Poonch district. Two associates of Chitrali, suspected to be his body-guards, escaped during the gun-battle.

January 5: A 54 year-old terrorist, identified as Hussain Kohli alias Jabbar, an ‘area commander’ of the HM, and one of his associates are killed by the SF personnel at Thillu Bharneli in the Mahore area of Udhampur district. Recoveries made from the slain terrorists include two AK-47 rifles, six magazines, 269 rounds of ammunition and one grenade.

January 2: The police arrested Maqsood, a HM terrorist, from the house of a former legislator at Sidhra on the outskirts of capital Srinagar.

January 1: A senior HM terrorist, ‘commander’ Abu Askari, is shot dead by Army and police in an encounter at village Sarhuti in the Poonch district. One AK rifle, three magazines, 80 rounds and 3 kg RDX are recovered from him.

 

 

 

 

 

 
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