Lashkar mastermind among 4 ultras killed, girl abducted in J

Srinagar, Dec 1 (UNI) In a major success, a top Pakistani commander of the banned Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), who masterminded the serial blasts in Delhi last year, was among the four militants killed while suspected ultras abducted a teenaged girl in Jammu and Kashmir during the past 24 hours, an official spokesman said today.

Troops of 29 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), acting on a tip off, launched a swift operation at Saloosa in Kreeri area of Baramulla district in north Kashmir early this morning.

A militant, identified as Ali Baba of Sindh in Pakistan, tried to escape from the cordon, but was trapped in a 'nullah'.

When asked to surrender, the militant opened fire and hurled hand grenades on troops which also retaliated. In the ensuing fierce gun-battle, the militant was killed.

Ali Baba alias Abu Hufeza, a self-styled LeT deputy commander, was active in the area for the past two years. He was the brain behind the serial blasts in Delhi in October last year.

A listed militant, Baba was wanted in a number of militancy- related incidents in north Kashmir. The spokesman said one AK rifle, three magazines and one hand grenade were seized from him.

Meanwhile, four suspected militants barged into the house of Taj Mohammad at Manoh village in Gandoh area of Doda district in Jammu region during the intervening night of November 29-30 as a wedding ceremony was going on and abducted 19-year-old Zainab Khatoon, a class X student.

The spokesman said three Hizbul Mujahideen militants were killed in a gunfight with security forces at Dewal Gulabgarh village in Mahore area of Udhampur district last night.

The slain militants were identified as Mohammad Amin alias Junaid, Shabir alias Tufail and Abdul Hamid alias Ashiq (all residents of the same district), he added.

The spokesman said one AK rifle, 58 rounds, one SLR (7.62 mm), 50 rounds, one pistol and four rounds were seized from them.

UNI BAS VA HT2010