Suspected LeT militant killed in encounter in Kashmir

A top militant commander of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba outfit was gunned down by the security forces in an ongoing gunfight in south Kashmir Pulwama district Thursday.

The gunfight in the Kakpora area, 25 kms south of capital Srinagar came a day after militants ambushed a passing convoy of the paramilitary, border security force on the strategic Jammu Srinagar national highway that left two BSF troopers and a militant dead.

The security forces had caught alive a Pakistan militant immediately after the ambush in Udhampur district of Jammu region.

A police spokesman in Srinagar said on specific information a joint operation was launched by the counter insurgency, Rashtriya Rifles and police in the Kakpora area during which hiding militants opened fire at the surrounding troops triggering an encounter in which so far a militant has been killed.

The spokesman identified the slain militant commander as Talib Hussain Shah of the LeT outfit.

He said Talib was involved in multiple attacks on the security forces including an attack on the BSF in the nearby Pampore town that wounded seven jawans.

“The operation is still on. However, there have been no firing exchanges since night-fall,” the police said.

During the encounter local youth pelted stones at the cordoning troops. They were, however, chased away by the police.  

Image: Kashmir army personnel take positions towards the house where militants were hiding at Kak Pora Pulwama during an encounter. Photograph: Umar Ganie