Another LeT commander killed in J&K encounter
Top Lashkar-e-Tayyaba commander Ayub Lalhari was killed in a brief fire fight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s southern Pulwama district on Wednesday afternoon. Two policemen were injured in the clash, officials said.
Confirming Lalhari’s death in the operation, director general of police Shesh Paul Vaid said, “He was one of the most wanted terrorists. It’s a great success for the forces”. Muhammad Ayub Lone alias Ayub Lalhari was reportedly travelling in a Tavera car when security forces intercepted it outside Banderpora village of Pulwama’s Koil area, leading to a brief exchange of fire. “Ayub Lalhari was the district commander of the LeT and one of the most wanted terrorists,” said a defence spokesman here.
The DGP tweeted, “Ayub Lalhari, district commander LeT, eliminated in #Pulwama. Excellent work boys!”
Lalhari was a resident of Lalhar, a village in Pulwama. His close associate and neighbour Arif
Continued from Page 1 Nabi Dar alias Rehan alias Arif Lalhari was killed along with the LeT’s Abu Dujana in an encounter in a Pulwama village on August 1.
Dujana, a Pakistani national, was No. 1 in the list of 12 “most wanted terrorists” released by the Army in June this year. Zakir Rashid Bhat alias Zakir Musa, the Kashmiri militant named as the head of Al Qaida’s recently launched India cell “Ansar Ghuzwat-ulHind”, later owned Dujana as being its “first martyr”.
“In the making of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, they played a key role and became first martyrs of this jihad movement,” Musa said in an audio message which went viral on social media platforms earlier this month.
Police sources said that the fire fight in Pulwama village in which Ayub Lalhari was killed was “very brief ”. After the vehicle he was travelling in was intercepted, Ayub Lalhari engaged the security forces in a gun fight and tried to escape through an apple orchard, but “was quickly gunned down,” sources said.
However, another report quoting villagers said that he was killed inside the car and later the security forces moved his corpse.
A statement issued by the J&K police in the evening termed Ayub Lalhari as a “dreaded terrorist.” It said that acting on specific information regarding the movement of the LeT district commander, the J&K police’s counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) along with the Army’s 55 Rashtriya Rifles and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)’s 182 and 183 Battalion laid joint nakas (check posts) and ambush in Banderpora, Drubgam and Chandgam areas of Pulwama.
“A vehicle in which the LeT commander was travelling was intercepted at Banderpora area of Koil village... The terrorist tried to flee and fired upon the joint party which was retaliated in which the terrorist was killed”, the statement said.
One AK 47 rifle with three magazines and 54 rounds was found on the slain militant, the police said adding that the driver of the Tavera car has been arrested.
It further said that Ayub Lalhari had joined the LeT in 2015 and became “very important operative” of the outfit. “He was involved in a number of terror offences, including killing of civilians in Pulwama, besides attack on security forces. He was involved in grenade attacks on Army camp and police post at Kakapora. He was also involved in killing of Sarpanch Fayaz Ahmad Kandizal,” the statement said.
“His killing is a major success and it has weakened the terror network in Pulwama,” it claimed.