Slain militant was responsible for killing of Shaily Singh
By News Agency of Kashmir
Jammu : Police today claimed to have gunned down a top Lashker-e-Toiba commander, allegedly responsible for the killing of a senior police officer, after a brief encounter – which also claimed life of a woman, in Bhaderwah area of mountainous Doda district, during the wee hours on Wednesday.
The militant was killed in a joint operation launched by Jammu and Kashmir police and 4 Rashtriya Rifles at Ganai Mohalla of Bhaderwah, about 210 km northeast of Jammu, this morning, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Doda Manhor Singh told News Agency of Kashmir.
He said that the slain militant, identified as Abu Umar, was All India Coordinator of LeT and was responsible for number of militancy related incident including killing of an encounter specialist of state police Shaily Singh in the month of May.
Giving details of the encounter, the SSP said that based on the inputs provided by state intelligence agencies a joint operation was launched by police and army in Ganai Mohalla late last night.
When the troops were zeroing in the militants hideout they came under heavy fire leading to a gun battle. The militant tried to escape and lobbed a hand grenade towards the troops, which however missed the target and exploded outside a nearby house. A lady inmate, Basra Begum wife of Abdul Qayoom, was killed in the grenade explosion, he added.
The lone militant hiding in the house was gunned down in a brief encounter and some arms and ammunition were also recovered from his possession.
A Pakistan national, the slain militant was organizing militant infiltration from across the Line of Control and also through other routes including Nepal, he added.
He (militant) had managed to break a cordon of Special Operation Group of Jammu and Kashmir police on May 30, this year, after killing DySP Shaily Singh. He was on the hit list of the police after the incident, sources said.