Security forces arrest top Hizbul commander Talib Lali

Security forces on Wednesday arrested Talib Lali, the self styled commander of terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, adding another feather to their cap. Lali was arrested along with two other suspects from his native Ajas area in Bandipore early during the day following inputs that some top Hizb militants were present there, according to reports.

Lali and his two associates - Abdul Rashid Lali and Showkat Ahmad Mir - were arrested after a brief exchange of fire between the militants and the security forces, in which no one received injuries.

Talib Lali, one of the longest surviving Hizbul terrorists in the Valley, had deep rooted contacts in the terror network on either side of the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan. Lali had been active for at least the past 15 years and had risen through the ranks to the terror outfit's top hierarchy.

According to reports, the security forces recovered arms and ammunition from the terrorists who were whisked away to an undisclosed location for questioning.

Also known as Waseem and Abu Umer, Lali was allegedly involved in the procurement of regular and systematic funding from across the border for Hizbul, for promoting terrorist activities in India.

According to reports, the Jammu & Kashmir Affectees Relief Trusts (JKART), a frontal organisation of Hizbul, was allegedly being used to route the funding from across the border.