Top Lashker commander among 4 killed in J and K

Srinagar, July 19 (UNI) A top commander of Pakistan-based Lashker-e- Toiba (LeT) and a six-year-old boy were among four people killed in Jammu and Kashmir overnight.

Official sources said security forces killed a self-styled District Commander (DC) of LeT Abu Usama in an encounter at Ari top in Poonch district of Jammu region early this morning.

The encounter ensued after a search party was attacked by the militants hiding in a house there. One AK rifle and other arms and ammunition were recovered from the slain commander.

The sources said militant abducted and later killed Shamus-Uddin at Gool late last night.

A six-year-old boy Asif was killed in a shootout between militants and security forces at Arnas last evening. Militants, however, managed to escape, sources said. However, the residents alleged the boy was killed by the security forces.

A Defence Ministry spokesman said troops of 9 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), 162 battalion of Territorial Army (TA) and 161 battalion Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) launched a joint operation at Braripora in Pulwama early this morning following a tip-off that militants were hiding there.

However, when the troops were sealing the area, militants fired upon them. The fire was returned and in the fierce clash, one militant was killed. A security jawan was also injured in the encounter, he said adding one AK rifle and other arms and ammunition were recovered from the slain militant.

UNI BAS PK BST1452