Kashmir unrest: Army releases list of 12 most wanted militants, includes names of Zakir Musa, Riyaz Naikoo

After gunning down Hizbul Mujahideen’s Sabzar Ahmad Bhat in a recent encounter in south Kashmir, the Indian Army released a list of 12 most wanted militants, according to reports on Thursday. The names were made public on Tuesday, four days after Bhat was killed in Tral by the security forces. [caption id=“attachment_3506431” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The pictures of the militants listed as ‘most wanted’ by the Indian Army. News18[/caption] The list figures names like Abu Dujana, Mohd Yasin Ittoo, Zakir Musa, Riyaz Ahmad Naikoo, Bashir Wani, Showkat Tak, Zeenat Ul-Islam, Altaf Dar, Saddam Paddar, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commander Abu Hamas, and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commanders Junaid Mattoo and Wasim. The militants have been categorised into A and A++. According to CNN-News 18, those listed under A++ are Paddar, Musa, Wani, Naikoo, Dujana, Dar, Tak, Wasim and Mattoo. According to  Zee News, the list shares the names and pictures of the militants along with the areas they are currently operating in and the strikes they have carried out. Names of the respective outfits and the militants’ ranks are also included. Among the militants mentioned in the list, Paddar alias Zaid, the Hizbul district commander in Shopian, is the most wanted, army sources told India Today. He was close to the group’s former commander Burhan Wani, who was killed by the troops in 2016,

Indian Army has released a list of 12 most-wanted terrorists active in J&K including Lashkar commanders Abu Dujana and Bashir Wani pic.twitter.com/8eYR7Ri1ax

— ANI (@ANI) June 1, 2017

The army is also hunting for Naikoo, who is reportedly the next Hizbul commander in Kashmir, after the death of Bhat, The Times of India reported. The listed militants are recently-recruited locals who are active mostly in south Kashmir.