Two militants are believed to have escaped from the spot. (File Photo)
A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant from Pakistan was killed during an overnight encounter that started on Sunday at Samboora in Pulwama district. The militant has been identified as Umer and belonged to the Abu Ismail group.
Two militants are believed to have escaped from the spot. According to police officials, acting on a tip-off on presence of militants, a joint team of Awantipora Police, 50 Rashtriya Rifle and CRPF launched a cordon and search operations in Samboora village on Sunday night. During the course of the operation, the militants opened fire on the search party, triggering an encounter. Pakistani LeT militant Umer was killed in the process.
Umer’s role in different crimes committed by Ismail is being ascertained now. One AK-47 rifle has also been recovered from the encounter site, police officials added. Ismail is the mastermind behind the Amarnath Yatra attack that took place on July 10, in which eight pilgrims were killed and 20 injured. He is believed to be the new Kashmir division chief of Lashkar, operating in southern part. With Umer’s death, the total number of people killed since July 30 has reached 16, including three civilians, two Army personnel and 11 militants.
