A top militant commander of the frontline Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit was gunned down and another was wounded in a joint operation by the Delhi police and the Jammu and Kashmir police in the winter capital Jammu on Saturday morning.
The police said divisional commander of the outfit, Saifullah Qari, the mastermind of the 2005 attack on the makeshift Ram temple in Ayodhya, was tracked down to Jammu's Janipora.
"The hideout in the densely-populated Janipore area was surrounded this morning and the holed militants were challenged to surrender. Instead they opened fire at the surrounding police, resulting in injury to a sub-inspector of Delhi police," a senior police officer said.
"The militants then rushed out in the open and continued to fire at the police resulting in a gunfight that ended with Saifullah's death and injuries to his associate who was arrested by the police."
Saturday's operation by the police has come four days ahead of the 60th Independence Day celebrations. Security forces in the entire state are already on high alert.
The police also confirmed the involvement of the slain militant commander in the Ayodhya attack.