The police on Tuesday claimed that the group of Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) terrorists involved in attacking Amarnath pilgrims in July was wiped out with the elimination of three militants during a prolonged encounter in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. The slain militants included Abu Furqan who had taken over as ‘divisional commander’ of LeT outfit after the killing of Abu Ismail. Ismail was described by the security forces as the mastermind of Amarnath attack.
A soldier of Sikh Light Infantry was killed in the shootout while a local militant who had taken shelter in a maternity hospital was
arrested.
“With the elimination of Abu Ismail earlier and now these three Abu Mavia, Furkan & Yawar, group that attacked Amarnath Yatries is wiped out,” Jammu and Kashmir police chief Shesh Paul Vaid tweeted.
The encounter triggered off on Monday morning when militants opened fire on an army convoy at Bonigam village near Qazigund on Srinagar-Jammu National highway, around 75 kilometers from here. The convoy was on way to the summer capital. One soldier was killed in the attack while another sustained injuries.
Shortly after the attack, the security forces cordoned off the area to track down the fleeing militants who took shelter in nearby building. This triggered of a heavy exchange of fire resulting to death of three militants.
The police identified the slain militants as Yawar Basir, a local militant who joined the outfit during earlier this year after snatching rifle from a police cop, Abu Furqan and Abu Maviya, both foreigners.
Furqan had taken over as the Lashker-e-Taiba in south Kashmir after the death of Abu Ismail. Police said all the three militants were part of the squad that carried out the attack on yatris on July 10 at Botego village in Anantnag district. Eight pilgrims were killed and 19 others were injured in the attack that drew widespread condemnation within Kashmir and from outside.
Police said that the encounter led to some leads to the militants and pursuing on the input a local cadre Rashid Ahmed Allai was arrested from a maternity hospital in Anantnag town with a Chinese pistol and cartridges. Allai was missing for the past two days from his house and had joined the Yawar group of LeT.
The police said he was part of the militant group when they carried out attack on army at Qazigund on Monday but managed to escape from the site when the encounter broke out.
Meanwhile, a large number of people participated in the last rites of Yawar Bashir at his native village Hiblish in Kulgam. Locals said that back to back funeral prayers were offered. The area observed shutdown while the train services were suspended in south Kashmir region.