Top LeT commander killed in Bandipore

A top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander was killed in an encounter in the Hajin area of Bandipore in Jammu and Kashmir by joint forces of the army and police on Thursday. 

Also read: Jammu and Kashmir: 3 Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists killed in encounter with security forces in Anantnag district

The commander was identified as Abu Musaib, known to be an integral part of the militant group and responsible for re-establishing Lashkar network in the region. He and his group were also involved in setting up of new hideouts in the region. 

The forces had received information about the militant's hideout following which the encounter took place in the early hours of Thursday. 

Army and police cordoned off a village in Hajin area of Bandipore in north Kashmir. Following a brief gunfight, the militant, Musaid, was killed. One police official was also injured during the encounter. 

The operation is being touted as a big success since he was a senior LeT member. 

On Monday, three militants were killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, said the army. They were killed in Awoora village in Pahalgam area of the district. The security forces had received intelligence about militant hideouts in the area after which they launched a search. 

The firing between the two sides had gone on for hours. Three AK-47 rifles were recovered from the encounter site. The terrorists belonged to Hizbul Mujahideen, according to reports. 

On January 10, one terrorist was killed in an encounter between LeT and security forces in Bandipore. On January 3, another terrorist was killed in an operation launched by the security forces in Baramulla district in North Kashmir.  

Since the beginning of the year, six terrorists have been killed including Thursday's encounter.