SOURCE: INDIA TV
The separatist militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) chief Saifullah was killed in an encounter on the outskirts of Srinagar on Sunday, police said, calling it a huge success for the security forces.
But who was Saifullah and how did he become the head of a major terror outfit? Here are some key points you need to know about him:
*Saifullah, also known as Dr Saifullah, had succeeded Riyaz Naikoo as the HM chief when Naikoo was killed by security forces in his native Beighpora village of Pulwama district on May 6 this year.
*Saifullah was the last of the 10 most wanted local militant commanders who had served as “icons” of homegrown militancy in Kashmir.
He was active since October 2014 and associated with Burhan Wani for a long time.
*Saifullah had planned a career in medicine. His mother, Sarwa Begum, who lives in Malangpora village of Pulwama district overlooked by the Indian Air Force base, told reporters that her son wanted to become a doctor.
*He finally managed obtain a diploma in repair and handling of medical equipment, earning him the prefix ‘Dr’ by residents of his village.
*Before joining the militant ranks, Saifullah served for three months in Kashmir’s prestigious tertiary care hospital, the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Soura area of Srinagar.
When asked by reporters as to how a most wanted militant commander like Saifullah could manage to come so close to Srinagar city from his south Kashmir operational base, IGP Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said, “Let us not waste time in asking how he came here. Let us celebrate his killing.”
So far, over 200 militants have been eliminated in Jammu and Kashmir this year, according to Union Territory DGP Dilbag Singh.
