Hizbul commander's top aides arrested in Sopore, arms and ammunition seized

Jammu: The security forces on Thursday arrested two close aides of a top Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander from Sopore area in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district.

Acting on a tip-off, Army's 52 Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group (SOG) Sopore had launched a massive search operation in Amargad area yesterday, following which two militants, said to be Over Ground Workers (OGW) of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen were nabbed.

The apprehended militants have been identified as - Showkat Ahmed Bhat and Tanveer Ahmed Dar. Large quantities of arms and ammunition, including grenades, RPG rounds, land mines and IEDs, have also been seized.

Both the apprehended persons are believed to be close associates of top Hizbul commander Sameer Ahmad Wani, who was killed on Tuesday.

Sameer was killed in a gunfight that erupted in the wee hours of Tuesday at Nagri Drugmulla, nearly 90 km from Srinagar, after an input about his presence in the area.

It is believed that the two men were entrusted with the task of arranging logistic support to Hizbul's terror network.