Excelsior Correspondent
Jammu, Mar 3: Top commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and his associate were killed today in a three day long gun battle in which five security force personnel were martyred in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
The gun battle ended today after three days of intense firing between troops and trapped militants in Babagund village of Handwara in district Kupwara. Bodies of two militants were recovered from the encounter site.
Sources said that one of them is a Pakistani militant Kabullah and another is Ishfaq Majid Mir son of Abdul Majid Mir of village Brat in Sopore area of Baramulla district.
They said Kabullah was Lashkar-e-Toiba commander, who was operating in Sopore, Rafiabad and Handwara area of North Kashmir. They said that he was involved in various militancy related incidents in the area and his killing is a major success for the troops.
The special forces of Army or Para-commandos were called in yesterday to take on militants who had inflicted heavy casualties on the troops. Four Police and CRPF personnel were martyred on Friday in the gun battle and several others were injured. One of the CRPF men, who was injured, succumbed today.
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A civilian was also killed in the clashes near the encounter site on Friday as troops fired to disperse a group of protesters.
Eight structures including two cowsheds were damaged in the gun battle as the militants were changing their positions during the gun battle.
A police spokesman said: “Two terrorists were killed in the encounter with security forces. Moreover, one jawan of CRPF identified as Sham Narayan Singh Yadav, who was injured earlier, has attained martyrdom”.
He said bodies of both the militants were recovered from the site of encounter. “Their identities and affiliations are being ascertained”, Police said.
They added that the operation posed considerable difficulties to the security forces due to the topography of the area. “Area where the terrorists were hiding was very congested and civilians in the adjoining houses had to be evacuated to the safer places away from the site of encounter”, Police said.
“Incriminating materials including arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of encounter. Police have registered a case in this matter and the incriminating materials retrieved from the site of encounter have been taken in the case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other terror cases”, Police said.
Police advised citizens not to venture inside the encounter zone since such an area can prove dangerous due to stray explosive materials. “People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosives materials, if any”, Police said.
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