Jaish Operations Chief, associate killed in Kashmir gunfight

By Fayaz Wani

Srinagar, Oct 9: The chief operations commander of the Pakistan based militant group, Jaish-e-Mohammad alongwith his close associate was killed in a four hour long gunfight with Indian soldiers in Kashmir on Thursday.

A police officer told NewsBlaze that Indian army and policemen on specific information about the presence of militants laid siege around the Warpora area in Sopore, some 60 kilometers north of Srinagar.

"After plugging off all the possible escape routes, the soldiers zeroed-in on a residential house and asked the militants present inside to surrender. The militants turned down the offer and fired from sophisticated weapons towards the soldiers. The fire was returned by the troopers, triggering an encounter," he said.

In the ensuing gunfight, which lasted for four hours, the Jaish chief operations commander and his associate were killed and two houses were damaged.

The police officer identified the slain militant commander as Zaheer Ahmad alias Pasha of Pakistan. His associate was identified as Saifullah alias Faisal of Faisalabad, Pakistan.

Claiming the killing of the militant commander as a great setback to the militant group, the police officer said that Pasha was one of the wanted militants in Kashmir and was operating since 1998.

Fayaz Wani reports on life in Srinagar, Kashmir.