Junaid Bhat
Sopore: The gunfight in Reban village of Apple town in North Kashmir’s Sopore town claimed the life of a Hizb commander, police said.Meanwhile thousands of people attended the funeral prayers of the slain command and Hizb ul Mujahideen in a statement issued to a local news gathering agency in Srinagar tributed him.
A police official said that the operation that began around 3am in the village has ended. “One Hizb militant, identified as Shahid Ahmad Sheikh of Kachloo Rafiabad has been killed,” he said.
Source said that Sheikh was Kupwara District Commander of the Hizb ul Mujahideen outfit.
Witnesses said that a residential house in which the militant was trapped was razed to ground by government forces during the gunfight.
Clashes erupted between protesters and government forces near the site of a gunfight.
Reports said that youth from adjacent villages of Hadipora and Chetlora tried to march towards the gunfight site to disrupt the operation.
The protesters pelted forces with stones as they marched ahead.
Reports said that a huge protest rally was taken out from the Reben village. The protesters while mourning the death of Hizb commander chanted high pitched pro-freedom and anti-India slogans.
Thousands of people on Saturday participated in the last rites of slain Hizb commander Shahid Ahmad Sheikh in Rafiabad area of Baramulla district in south Kashmir. People of different areas like Rafiabad, Qaziabad and Zainageer area marched towards the Kachloo village where Sheikh was laid to rest.
The funeral prayers of Sheikh, who was killed in a gunfight with government forces in Reban village, were held at 6pm. 22-year-old Sheikh, who was Kupwara district commander of Hizb, had joined militancy two years ago after completing degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies.
Meanwhile Hizbul Mujhadeen paid rich tribute to its commander Shahid Ahmad Sheikh of Kachloo Rafiabad.
Burhanuddin, the spokesperson of the outfit told local news gathering agency CNS over phone that United Jehad Council chief Syed Salahuddin and deputy chief Saifullah Khalid paid rich tributes to Shahid Ahmad Sheikh who according to spokesperson was the district commander of the outfit for Kupwara district.
“Shahid was an asset to this freedom movement. He joined the Hizb ranks and participated in scores of gunfights. The separation of commanders like him is really painful,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said that Operational Field Commander Muhammad Bin Qasim also paid rich tribute to the slain militant.
