Two LeT militants including commander killed in encounter in Kashmir’s Pulwama

Wasim Shah was a militant on the most-wanted list of security forces in Kashmir.

india Updated: Oct 14, 2017 09:38 IST

Toufiq Rashid
Hindustan Times, Srinagar

File photo of Army personnel during a gun battle with militants who attacked a police complex in which three security personnel were martyred in Pulwama of South Kashmir on October 2.(PT)

Two militants of the Lashkar-e-Toiba including a top commander were killed by security forces in an encounter in Litter in Pulwama in South Kashmir early Saturday.

According to an army spokesman the encounter began early morning. The spokesman said the operation was still in progress.

A top LeT commander Wasim Shah was among those killed. “LeT district commander of Shopian, Wasim Shah was killed along with another LeT operative Nisar Ahmad,’’ an army spokesman confirmed.

Shah who hailed from Heff village in Shopian was a category A++ militant, who joined the LeT in March 2014. Ahmad a resident of Litter village had joined militants in May this year.

Sources said the encounter began after the militants who were holed up in a house opened fire on security forces who had cordoned off the village.

“Shah was a dreaded militant involved in a number of attacks,’’ Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Range, Muneer Khan told HT.

Wasim Shah was also an all-rounder in cricket before becoming a militant. According to his father Ghulam Mohammad Shah, he was only 19 when his closest friend Setha Parrey became a militant and he soon followed in 2014.

In an interview to HT earlier this year Ghulam Mohammad Shah had blamed constant questioning of Wasim by police about Parrey that led the youngster to join the militant ranks. Police records, however, showed that Wasim was an over ground worker before joining militant ranks.