Burhan Wani’s Successor, Sabzar Ahmed Bhat Killed by the Indian Army

Hijbul Mujahideen commander Sabzar Ahmad Bhat has been gunned down by Indian Army. Sabzar Ahmad was the successor of Burhan Wani who was killed by Army last year. Read to know more about how and when Sabzar Ahmad was killed by the Indian Army.

Former Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani’s successor Sabzar Ahmad Bhat was killed by the Indian Army along with 8 other terrorists.

Sabzar Bhat succeeded Burhan Wani as the operational chief of Hizbul Mujahideen. He was killed during a long encounter in South Kashmir’s Tral area.

While two of the terrorists killed were holed up in a building in Pulwama district's Tral sector, six others were killed by the Indian Army as it successfully foiled an infiltration attempt along the Line of Control or LoC in Rampur sector in Baramulla district.

The three militants, after being trapped by the Army had opened fire at a patrol party of 42 Rashtriya Rifles at Hardumir after being trapped on Friday.

They managed to escape the spot when the forces retaliated. The trio was later cornered and a gun battle ensued that continued till early hours of Saturday.

After Burhan Wani’s killing in July last year, Sabzal Bhat took over the command of the militant outfit. Although Hizbul Mujahideen did not make an official announcement, Sabzar became the chief after Zakir Rashid, who managed the ‘tech side’ of the outfit, quit the group two weeks ago.

Sabzal, also known as ‘Sab Don’, has featured in videos and photos that have been circulated by the group which helped in his identity.

Categorised as an A++ militant in Kashmir, Bhat reportedly turned to militancy after the family of a girl he loved spurned his marriage proposal and ended the relationship.

A childhood friend of Burhan Wani, Bhat became an important member of Hizbul when 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.

Bhat was one of the 11 people in one of the earliest photos of Burhan Wani along with his associates. The photo, uploaded by Bhat, went viral and was viewed as a move to gain sympathy from Kashmiris.

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.

Bhat carried a bounty of ₹10 lakh.

Earlier in March 2017, Bhat was trapped in a gunfight with security forces at his hometown in Tral. He escaped the following night in the cover of darkness and with help from stone-pelters.

Inputs Sourced from News Reports