Hizbul Mujahideen militant Aadil Ahmad arrested in Anantnag

The arrest, the third of a militant this month by the J-K police, comes at a time when the security forces in the Valley have appealed to the militants to shun the gun and join the mainstream.

The Jammu and Kashmir police arrested a Hizbul Mujahideen operative on Wednesday, making it the third arrest of a militant this month.

Hizbul Mujahideen militant Aadil Ahmad. (ANI Twitter)

“HM militant Aadil Ahmad arrested from Bijbihara in South Kashmir by Anantnag Police in a joint operation with 1RR, 3RR & 90Bn CRPF,” a police spokesperson said.

The Twitter handle of the deputy inspector general of police, south Kashmir, posted a file picture Ahmad brandishing a rifle with ammunition strapped on his chest.

The arrest comes at a time when the security forces in the Valley have appealed to the militants to shun the gun and join the mainstream.

In two separate encounters on September 10 and 11, the police arrested a militant and an overground worker apart from gunning down four operatives.

After the two arrests, inspector general of police, Kashmir range, Munir Khan had said at the press conference, “It is a very clear message to others who have been lured into this that if they come we will receive them with open arms, not necessarily during encounters, even now they can come and join the mainstream.”