Top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani has been killed in an encounter with police in Anantnag on Friday. His death can be a major setback for the organisation as he was considered as the brain behind many attacks and a major success for the security forces. In the gun battle between Hizbul Mujahideen and security personnel, two other militants were also killed, according to police personnel.
Burhan Wani who was the poster boy of Hizbul Mujahideen had released several videos of his which attracted many local youth to join the militant group. He who had a bounty of 10 lakh on his head took to social media at the age of 16 to urge people to pick up the gun which he termed it as a holy war and a satisfying life. The poster boy never wore masks and he even attracted many educated people into Hizbul Mujahideen. It was only after he joining the organisation, local youth outnumbered foreigners in the organisation. He recruited several local boys for the group in the last two year, said a police official.
Ever since he had been listed in the most-wanted list of security forces because of the revival of the organisation in south Kashmir, there had been several operations to nab him. Moreover, the security forces made continuous intel efforts to locate him and finally the efforts became fruitful on Friday with gunning him down. He had been traced in Anantnag, a place which was not under the radar.
Born to a school headmaster, he was brilliant student who dropped out of the school in Class X to pick up the gun.
A friend of Wani said that the latter joined the militant group after his brother Khalid was humiliated by security forces during the 2010 unrest. Moreover, one of the security personnel pounced on his, threatening him. Khalid was killed when he was his way to meet Wani in forest hideout
