Shopian: Militants on Sunday offered gun salute to top commander of Al-Badr militant outfit Zeenat-ul-Islam alias Dr Usman at his native Sugan village in Shopian district.
Despite placing barricades and heavy deployment by government forces, militants appeared in one of the multiple rounds of funeral for Zeenat-ul-Islam and offered gun salute, reports said. “One militant opened few shots in air,” they said.
On Saturday, Zeenat-ul-Islam alias Dr Usman and his associate Shakeel Ahmad Dar were caught unawares as Army’s 34 Rashtriya Rifles personnel came in sumo vehicles and cordoned off the kathpora village in Yaripora.
The SOG of J&K Police and the CRPF joined the army before encounter with the hiding militants was established, officials said. There was a brief exchange of fire, leading to the killing of Zeenat-ul-Islam (30), listed in police records as category A++ militant and carried a bounty of Rs 12.5 lakh on his head.
