Security forces gun down longest surviving Hizb militant along with 4 others in Kashmir's Kulgam

In a major success, security forces killed one of the longest surviving and most wanted commander of Hizbul Mujihideen (HM) along with four militants in a gunfight in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Dec 19.

Two army soldiers were also injured in the hours-long gunfight in an orchard in Kadder village of the district, police said.

Farooq Nali of Yaripora Kulgam was active since 2014 and was a key figure in the Burhan Wani group. He was classified as A++ terrorist and carried a bounty of ₹ 10 lakh on his head, a senior police officer said.

Nali had been active in orchestrating several attacks on both civilians and security forces and was listed in J&K police’s 10 most wanted militants in Kashmir in 2021, he said.

“Particularly after Zakir Rashid Bhat popularly known as Zakir Musa’s killing in May 2019, Nali made desperate attempts to revive the HM cadre, especially in south Kashmir, and was leading the group to carry out attacks on civilians and security forces,” a south Kashmir based senior police officer told Education Post.

“His killing marks a significant setback for the militant group that has already lost its top commanders including Burhan Wani and Sabzar Bhat. His death is a big achievement for police and security forces,” he added.

The gunfight broke out after a joint team of police and Army cordoned off the Kadder village following the inputs about the presence of militants in the area.

According to police, as the joint team was zeroing in on the target, the hiding militants rushed out of a house, fired indiscriminately on the forces, and tried to break the cordon. The security forces retaliated leading to a gunfight.

“In the ensuing gunfight, five militants including Farooq Nali – all belonging to HM were killed. Two army men sustained injuries and have been hospitalized,” a police official said, adding the bodies of militants have been recovered and the identity of other slain militants is being ascertained.

While the gunfight was in progress, the Indian Army's Chinar Corps said in a post on X, “Based on specific intelligence input regarding the presence of terrorists, a Joint Operation was launched by the Indian Army and J-K police at Kader, Kulgam. Suspicious activity was observed by vigilant troops and on being challenged, terrorists opened indiscriminate and heavy volumes of fire. Own troops effectively retaliated. Operation is in progress."

Notably, this is the third gunfight in Kulgam this year. Six militants and two soldiers were killed in two separate gunfights in the district on July 8.