Burhan’s last surviving associate Lateef Tiger among 3 Hizb militants killed in Shopian gunfight

Shopian: Three Hizbul Mujahideen militants including the only surviving militant of new age militant commander Burhan Wani’s group were killed in a pre-dawn gunfight that broke out in Imam Sahab area of south Kashmir’s Shopian district. The encounter took place just two days before the district would go to polls on May 6.
A soldier was also injured in the initial exchange of firing while as 15 youth sustained injuries in post-encounter clashes one of them hit with a bullet in his leg.
A top police officer said that a siege was laid Adkhara village of Imam Sahab are of Shopian after specific lead suggested presence of three Hizbul Mujahideen militants in the area. “During searches when the forces zeroed in on the suspected house, the hiding militants opened fire indiscriminately resulting in an injury to a soldier.
The firing was retaliated and in the ensuing encounter, two militants were killed,” the officer said. “The third militant remained silent for some time and later opened fire on the forces.
He was also killed in the gunfight.” He said that the encounter was conducted in most professional manner and there was no collateral damage. “A joint team of Army’s 34 RR and SoG Shopian participated in the operation,” the officer said.
Among the slain militants, one was identified as Moulvi Tariq, another as Shariq Ahmed Nengrooa the third one was Lateef Ahmed alias Lateef Tiger, the only surviving militant of the Burhan Wani group, that set the base for new age militancy in Kashmir.
With the killing of Lateef Tiger, all the militants who posed in a group photograph with slain Burhan Wani in the middle stand killed in various encounters. Burhan was killed on July 8, 2016 in village Bomdooru of Kokernag area of Anantnag district.
Defence spokesman in Srinagar, Colonel Rajesh Kalia confirmed that the killing to three militants in the Shopian gunfight. He, however, said operation was on in the area. Soon after the gunfight was over, massive clashes broke in the area with youth pelting forces with the stones resulting in the pellet injuries to 14 youth while as another one was hit by a bullet in his leg, eye-witnesses said.
All injured are stable,” said eye-witnesses. Meanwhile, thousands of people flooded the native villages of three slain militants to participate in their funeral processions.
Witnesses said that the bodies of three slain militants were taken out in the form procession with people raising pro-freedom and pro-Islam slogans. They said that multiple rounds of funerals were held for the slain militants. Pertinently, district magistrate in Shopian has already imposed section 144 in the district for a month from May 3.