Trooper, LeT Com’der killed in North Kashmir

Srinagar: A top Lashker-e-Toiba commander and a soldier were killed in separate gunfights in north Kashmir since overnight, official sources told Press Bureau of India on Monday.

They said LeT’s division commander was killed in a gunfight with troops of 3-madras in Barzulla area in Bandnipora last night. Two of his associates managed to give the army’s elite force slip, sources said.

Defence ministry spokesman based here, Lt Col JS Brar said that the encounter ensued Sunday evening when troops of 3-Madras launched a cordon-and-search operation in Barzulla area following tip off about the presence of militants in the area. The militants, he said, present in the area opened fire which was retaliated, triggering off an encounter. “One foreign militant has been killed,” Brar told KMW. An Ak-47 and ammunition has been received from the encounter site, he added.

Police sources said that slain militant is believed to be divisional commander of LeT, Abu Dawood who carried award on his head. However, the defence ministry spokesman, Brar said that the identity of the suspected LeT militant was being established.

A trooper of army’s 4 JAT— Constable Kartar Singh—was killed when the troops confronted a group of ‘infiltrating’ militants along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector northern Baramulla district.

J S Brar claimed that a group of heavily armed militants tried to infiltrate through Golta Nallah, Uri last evening. On being spotted by the army troops guarding the LoC, militants opened heavy fire, resulting into the death of the soldier Kartar Singh (Belt No 3203255X). The militants, he said, retrieved towards Pakistan Administered Kashmir (PaK) taking advantage of the darkness.

Meanwhile, a fresh encounter erupted between militants and troops of 21 Rashtriya Rifles in Bawan Watsar area in Handwara twon of the frontier Kupwara district. Sources said that a group of three to four militants are believed to be trapped in the area. However, there were no reports about casualty to either side when this report was filed late in the evening.