Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Dec 24: Security forces this evening killed a top Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander and his associate in an encounter in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district. The duo were involved in the attack on a Srinagar hotel, Silver Star, last month in which two hotel staff were killed and equal number of them injured.
Police said that a Head Constable of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Niyaz Ahmad, was also killed in the encounter when militants fired at a security force party inside the village Dodhipora, Kulgam.
While giving details, police said that Kulgam police along with 9-Rashtriya Rifles (RR) of Army’s Counter-Insurgency Victor Force and 18th Battalion of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) launched a joint operation at village Dodhipora in South Kashmir district of Kulgam after specific information about the presence of two top LeT militants.
Police said that the militants fired upon the search party killing the police head constable and managed to flee from the village. However, the security forces chased them and killed both the militants in the open paddy fields between Dodhipora and adjacent village Kanipora.
Police identified the dead militants as LeT district commander, Mudisir Ahmad Sheikh alias Mawyia resident of Yamrach and Tamim Ahmad, a Pakistani militant. Police said that both the militants were involved in Silver Star shoot out in Srinagar on October 19, this year in which two hotel employees were killed and equal number of them injured.
It may be mentioned here that 3-4 armed militants attacked Hotel Silver Star, a four star hotel in the outskirts of Srinagar on Patha Chowk-Parimpora Bypass near the Srinagar Railway Station in October this year killing one employee and injuring three others.
One of the employees Farooq Ahmad, a Bell Boy, of Tral in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district was killed on the spot while among 3 injured, 18-year-old Anees Ahmad Wani son of Habibullah Wani resident of Dever Inderbugh, in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district succumbed to his injuries at SMHS Hospital a week later.
Sources said that Tamim was also involved in the attack on Army convoy in Pampore town in July this year. Earlier last week another militant involved in the Pampore Army convoy attack, Athar Naveed Dar son of Mohammad Yusuf Dar of Bismilla Colony Model town Sopore was killed in village Saidpora in North Kashmir’s Sopore area. Six other LeT top militants were also killed in the Sopore operation last week.
The LeT commander Mudasir Sheikh was close to LeT Divisional Commander, South Kashmir, Qasim. Both were trapped by the security forces on August 29 this year in the South Kashmir’s Kulgam district village of Brinail but they escaped from the security cordon.
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