Kashmir Insurgent Captured, India Says

SRINAGAR, India — A Kashmiri guerrilla leader wanted for more than 15 years was captured Saturday by Indian paramilitary soldiers and police during a raid on a militant hide-out, an officer said.

Mohammed Shafi Dar was captured in Srinagar, the summer capital of India’s Jammu and Kashmir state, a security official said on condition of anonymity. Two machine guns and a satellite phone were recovered from him, the official said.

Dar is believed to be chief commander of the Pakistan-based Tehreek-ul-Mujahedin militant group -- one of the smaller organizations waging a separatist war against India. He allegedly was active in Kashmir for more than 15 years, and a reward of more than $11,000 had been offered for his arrest or death, the official said.

It is rare for a rebel commander to be captured alive in India’s portion of Kashmir. Most die in gun battles or operate from the Pakistan-controlled area while issuing orders to field commanders.

A high-ranking police official, who also declined to be named, confirmed the arrest separately.

More than a dozen separatist groups have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or union with Pakistan since 1989. More than 66,000 people have died in the conflict.