Indian forces killed a top commander of the largest Kashmiri separatist group in a gunbattle in the restive Himalayan region, police said on Sunday.Farooq Ahmed Dar, the financial chief of rebel group Hizbul Mujahedeen, was one of two men killed in the battle on Saturday in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK), said Hemant Lohia, a senior police officer. “His killing is a big blow to the militants,” Lohia said. Hizbul Mujahedeen, which is believed to have been tied to dozens of bombings and violent attacks in a deadly campaign against Indian rule in the region, had no immediate response to the reported death. It was not possible to contact the group for confirmation of the report. The fighting began late on Saturday after police and soldiers cordoned off Noorpora, a village about 45 kilometres south of Srinagar, Lohia said, adding that no soldiers were injured or killed in the fighting.