Top Lashkar-e-Taiba man behind killing of 8 Amarnath yatris gunned down

A top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander, who was accused of killing eight Amarnath Yatra pilgrims earlier this year, was gunned down by security forces in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Naugam region.

Shuja-ul-Haq  | Posted by Sanjay Nirala
September 14, 2017 | UPDATED 17:42 IST
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Highlights

  • 1
    LeT commander, accused of killing eight Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, was gunned down by security forces in Naugam region.
  • 2
    He had activated the overground operatives of the Lashkar in the Valley to carry out the Amarnath attack.
  • 3
    On July 10, Lashkar terrorists attacked a bus carrying pilgrims in Batengo area of the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

A top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander, who was accused of killing eight Amarnath Yatra pilgrims earlier this year, was gunned down by security forces in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Naugam region today.

Abu Ismail, who was in his 30s, had been a part of the Lashkar's active team for the last seven years. He had activated the overground operatives of the Lashkar in the Valley to carry out the Amarnath attack.

On July 10, Lashkar terrorists had attacked a bus carrying pilgrims in Batengo area of the Srinagar-Jammu highway, leaving eight pilgrims dead.

The probe into the Amarnath attack shows that the terrorists wanted to take some of the pilgrims hostages. A reconnaissance of the route was conducted for three days.

Ismail had virtually taken over the LeT operational command from Abu Dujana and was seen more active in organising the network of the overground workers.

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