A lover boy Sabzar Ahmad Bhat turned to militancy after his girlfriend’s family snubbed his marriage proposal and ended the relationship. He was in love with a Kashmiri girl for a long time, they both wanted to marry but Bhat was very close to childhood friend Burhan, the Hizbul chief in Kashmir. Looking at the girl’s future, the family opposed to tie up them in marriage knot and the jilted boy joined militancy in anger with broken heart. He knew, he would be killed, and for him, life was just a matter of time.
Sabzar, a childhood friend of Burhan Wani, became an important member of the Hizbul and escalated to commander after he managed to snatch a rifle from an armed forces officer during the protests that erupted when Burhan Wani’s elder brother, Khalid, was killed.
Sabzar Ahmad was educated with tech savvy persona. He is also known as ‘Sab Don’, has featured in videos and photos circulated by the group. Bhat was categorized as an A++ militant in Kashmir. He is said to have been extremely popular in Tral and although Hizbul did not make an official announcement, Sabzar was the operational chief after Zakir Rashid a.k.a Zakir Musa quit the group, a fortnight ago.
After his killing, the Indian Army is believed to be collecting actionable input against several other active members of the Pakistan-backed terror outfits operative in Kashmir. Bhat was viewed as the brains behind the operation of the militant group, while another of Burhan Wani’s close aides, Zakir Musa, looked after the ‘tech side’ of things. Bhat had a reward of Rs. 10 lakh against his name and is believed to have received ‘training’ on Indian soil.
Bhat was in March 2017 trapped in a gunfight with security forces at his hometown in Tral. He escaped the following night, in the cover of darkness and with the help of stone-pelters. Besides attacks on panchs, sarpanchs and security forces, Sabzar is known to have killed civilians who were believed to be informers of the Indian armed forces.
Four days after killing of Sabzar Ahmad Bhat in a fierce gunfight in South Kashmir’s Tral, the hotbed of insurgency, the Army has now released the names of over a dozen dreaded terrorists, it is now looking for. The list carries the names and pictures of the militants along with the areas they are active in and the strikes carried out by them. Names of outfits and the militants’ ranks have also been shared. Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) chief operations commander Abu Dujana is a most wanted terrorist carrying over Rs. 15 lakh bounty on his head. Operating in the Kashmir Valley since last five years, Dujana replaced LeT operational commander and Udhampur attack mastermind Abu Qasim after security forces killed him in October 2015. Believed to be originally hailing from Gilgit-Baltistan, Dujana has been mastermind of most of the attacks on security forces in south Kashmir.
Operating mostly in Pulwama district, Abu Dujana is also the mastermind of Pampore terror attack that killed eight CRPF men last year. Last year, Dujana had made several public appearances during protest rallies in south Kashmir. He had also made appearances during the last rites of Hizbul Commander Burhan Wani at Tral.
Riyaz Ahmad Naikoo is most likely to take over as the new Hizbul commander in the Kashmir Valley after the killing of Sabzar Ahmad Bhat. He is one of the oldest militants of Hizbul Mujahideen. Unlike the previous commander, Sabzar Ahmad Bhat, Riyaz Naikoo is technology savvy. The terrorist group may appoint him as commander to use his abilities to galvanize support for terrorism through social media networks. He carries a bounty of Rs. twelve lakh on his head. A native of Durbug in Awantipora district, Naikoo is considered to be a moderate among the radical Hizbul Mujahideen militants. He had released a video last year saying that he would welcome the return of Kashmiri Pandits to Kashmir. Riyaz Naikoo’s close associates Altaf Kachroo and Saddam Padder are also the local men, who are wanted by the Indian Army.
Junaid Mattoo is currently the chief of the Lashkar-e-Toiba in South Kashmir. Educated and tech savvy, Mattoo is being closely watched by the Intelligence Bureau. Hailing from Kashmir’s Kulgam town, Matoo was first seen in action when on June 4 a group of militants attacked a police station in Anantnag. He was also behind the attack on the BSF bus on June 3 in which three personnel were killed and seven others injured. The attack was carried out on the Jammu National Highway. Matoo carries a reward of Rs. 5 lakh on his head.
All these young militant have their own agony, tragedies and sorrows of life and got trapped in wrong hands operating against India. They chose this path knowing or unknowingly but the end has to be meted with death. I hope, these killings can prevent other Kashmiri youth from choosing wrong path in life. I hope, they realize the worth of motherland and their own lives.
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