Monday, March 27 2006 11:59 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Jammu: Of the 13 militant outfits operating in Jammu and Kashmir, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, considered as the terror backbone of the state was worst-hit in 2005 after it lost 31 of its top commanders among its 472 dead cadre.

"The most formidable terror outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), considered as the backbone of Kashmir's militancy, have received major jolts one after another in 2005. It has lost its 31 highest commanders among its 472 dead cadremen in 2005", top police officials told sources here today (Mar 27, 2006).



"Kashmir's militancy backbone, as a result, got a major jolt and the demoralised Hizb cadre have gone into hibernation," they said.

"HuM tops the list of the 13 terror outfits operating in the state, which include, among others, Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Al-badr, Al-umar, Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami (HUJI) and Jamait-ul-mujahideen (JuM)," they said.

A total of 67 top commanders have been killed by security forces and police last year, they said adding that HuM topped the list of 'dead commanders followed by LeT, Al-badr, JeM, HUJI and HuM, according to police figures.

LeT also lost 12 of its commanders last year followed by nine top commanders of Al-badr, seven top commanders of JeM and two commanders each of HuM and HUJI.

During the past three years of Mufti Sayeed government in Jammu and Kashmir, 182 commanders have been killed of which 64 belonged to the HuM.

This year HuM lost four self-styled divisional commanders, seven district commanders, nine tehsil commanders and 12 area commanders, they said adding in 2004 the outfit suffered heaviest loss with six top cadre being killed.

"Due to crumbling of the top structure of militant outfits like Hizb, LeT, JeM, lower militant cadre are on run in J-K", northern command chief, Lt General Deepak Kapoor said.

After the killing of HuM's self-styled chief operation commander for the state Gulam Rasool Khan alias Saif-ul-Islam in November 2003, Gulam Rasool Dar alias Gazi Naseer-uddin took over as the outfit's Jammu and Kashmir chief commander.

Gazi Naseer-uddin was however killed by the BSF two months after his appointment by troops in Umarabad, Baramulla on January 16, 2004.