Three lashkar-e-Tayyeba (leT) militants, including a top-ranking commander, have been killed in a prolonged gun-battle with security forces in lolab pocket of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
Sources said the area had been cordoned off on Friday afternoon following the input that a group of militants was active in the area. late on Friday night, there was first contact between the security forces and militants that led to death of a militant. He was identified as Abu Usman alias Zarrar.
Zarrar was believed to have been part of infiltrator group who sneaked into this side of line of Control (loC) last summer. A resident of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Zarrar was leading the leT militants in the area, sources said. The cordon and search operation continued in the area on Saturday and later in the evening two more militants were gunned down.
Hundreds of locals took part in the funeral of the slain leT militant.
Defence spokesperson lt Col NN Joshi said confirmed the death of two more militants in the encounter. “Security Forces gunned down two more militants on Saturday. Their identity has not been ascertained yet. It was a successful operation conducted by Indian Army in which three militants were killed,” he said.
