By IANS
Srinagar : Indian security forces scored a major success Wednesday, gunning down an operational commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant outfit in Kashmir.
A defence spokesman here said a joint force of the 1/11 Gorkha Rifles (GR) and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police surrounded Wani Mohalla near Hanjipore in north Kashmir’s Kupwara, 110 km from here, on receiving information about the presence of the top LeT commander.
“When the troops were closing on the hideout, the terrorist opened fire on troops. A long firefight ensued in which troops gunned down the dreaded terrorist,” Lt. Col A.K. Mathur told IANS here Wednesday evening.
“The slain terrorist has been identified as Abu Taleb alias Tayeb alias Talha, district commander of Kupwara and overall LeT commander-in-chief for coordinating operations in Kashmir,” Mathur added.
“He was responsible for the reception of infiltrating cadres and coordinating their activities. One AK rifle, four magazines, 130 rounds of AK ammunition, three Chinese grenades, a communication network chart and other war-like stores were recovered from the possession of the terrorist.
“Elimination of Abu Taleb before the Independence Day celebrations has delivered a severe jolt to LeT set up in Kashmir,” the spokesman said.