The encounter took place at Aribagh in Nowgam area on the outskirts of Srinagar, the official said. PTI File Photo
Pakistani origin Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Abu Ismail, involved in the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in July, was killed along with his aide Chotta Qasim in a brief encounter with security forces in the outskirts of Srinagar on Thursday evening.
"Following intelligence reports about the presence of the terrorists in the area, security forces launched an operation and neutralized the two terrorists including Abu Ismail. Two AK-47 rifles were recovered from them. Ismail’s associate was identified as Abu Qasim," Inspector General Police (IGP) Kashmir, Munir Khan said while addressing a press conference.
Khan, who was flanked by General Officer Commanding (GOC) Victor Force Major General B S Raju and Inspector General Operations CRPF Zulfiqar Hassan congratulated the team which killed the two militants. "Ismail was one of our prime targets. It hardly took half-an-hour to complete the operation. Militant leadership has to be eliminated because they misguide our children and lure them into this,” the IGP Khan said,
The GOC Raju said the operation was important because it will create a vacuum in the top leadership of LeT now.
State police chief Shesh Pal Vaid said they were after Ismail since the terrorist attacked a bus carrying Amarnath yatries on July 10. Eight pilgrims, mostly from Gujarat and Maharashtra had died and 18 were injured when the terrorists surrounded it from all sides and opened fire on the bus on July 10 near Anantnag in south Kashmir. Ismail was also involved in different terror attacks in south Kashmir, in which 14 security personnel were killed. The police said he was named in 15 criminal cases in the valley, including those of murder and dacoity.
Sources said the 25-year-old Pakistani national Ismail had infiltrated into Kashmir some four years ago and had recently taken charge of the Lashkar's operations in the valley. He was designated as the operation commander by the LeT after Abu Dujana joined Zakir Musa's al-Qaeda Kashmir group some months back. Dujana was also killed by the security forces in early August.
"Ismail had shifted his base from south Kashmir to Srinagar recently after security forces launched a massive manhunt to trace him after the deadly attack on Amarnath yatries. Besides, trying to revive militancy in Srinagar, he was trying to evade the security dragnet in south Kashmir. In Srinagar, he was active in organising the network of the overground workers," they revealed.
Sources said the security agencies got a lead from south Kashmir about Ismail's hideout in Srinagar as they were using both human intelligence and surveillance methods. "The information about his latest movement was generated from south Kashmir and a team of J&K Police from the region along with the Army managed to neutralize him near Aaribagh, Nowgam on the outskirts of the city," they added.