Lashkar's Kashmir Operations Commander Killed

By Fayaz Wani

Srinagar, Aug 8: Indian police today claimed to have achieved a major breakthrough by killing the Kashmir Operations commander of Pakistan based militant group, Lashkar-e-Toiba in a gunfight in North Kashmir.

A top police officer of North Kashmir, Dr B Srinivas giving details, said that police received specific information about the presence of the Lashkar militant commander in a village at Hanjipora in the border district of Kupwara. "After receiving information, police and Indian army personnel launched a joint combing operation in the area this afternoon to flush out the militant commander", he said.

After plugging off all the possible escape routes, Indian police and army personnel zeroed in on a residential house of one Tariq Ahmad Wani son of Mohammad Subhan at Hajipora and asked the militant commander present inside to surrender. However, the Lashkar commander turned down the offer and fired his AK-47 rifle at the Indian police and para-military personnel.

The fire was returned by the Indian soldiers, triggering an encounter. The exchange of fire between the militant and the soldiers continued for nearly two hours and culminated after the death of the Lashkar commander. A policeman, an Indian army soldier and the house owner received bullet injuries in the two-hour long shoot-out and were removed to hospital. Doctors attending the injured persons termed their condition as out of danger.

The police officer identified the slain Lashkar militant commander as Abu Taib alias Abu Talah, a Pakistani national. He claimed that an AK rifle, three Magazines and three grenades were recovered from the slain militant.

Another top police officer of North Kashmir, Vijay Kumar told Newsblaze that that the slain militant was the Operational commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba. "The said militant was responsible for the killing of a top army commander and his bodyguard in the Bandipore area few days back", the police officer said.

He termed the Lashkar commander's killing as a big setback to the militant group in Kashmir. "It is a major achievement of police and army against Lashkar militants", he added.
An Indian army spokesman in Srinagar said that the killing of the Lashkar Operations commander before India's Independence Day has delivered a severe jolt to the Lashkar group in Kashmir.

Fayaz Wani reports on life in Srinagar, Kashmir.