Incidents involving Hizb-ul-Mujahideen

2008

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,