Lashkar 'commander' among three militants killed in J&K

A self-styled commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba hailing from Pakistan and two other militants holed up in a mosque were killed by security forces in a gunbattle in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir.

A self-styled commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba hailing from Pakistan and two other militants holed up in a mosque were killed by security forces in a gunbattle in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.

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The slain terrorists have been identified as LeT commander Abdullah Gori alias Abdula Gaznavi, a Pakistani national, and two other local associates Bilal Ahmed alias Rizwan and Shabir Ahmed alias Salama.

One AK rifle, three magazines, one 303 rifle, one pistol and two hand grenades were recovered from the encounter site, a police spokesman said.

Acting on information about the movement of a group of LeT terrorists, the troops of 11 Rashtriya Rifles and local police launched a joint search operation at Sarwa village in Keshwan area early this morning, he said

The terrorists were asked to surrender but they started firing indiscriminately on the troops, who chased them, he said, adding the terrorists later took shelter in a local mosque.

They were again asked to surrender but they continued with their firing on troops who retaliated. In the ensuing encounter, all the three militants were killed.

Security forces had earlier suspected another militant to be holed up in the mosque, but after the operation ended, bodies of three militants were found, the spokesman said.