LeT ultra, SPO killed in Poonch gunbattle

Jammu, Sep 25 (UNI) A top Lashkar militant and a Special Police Officer (SPO) were killed in a fierce gunbattle in Bafliaz area of Surankote tehsil of Poonch district, official sources today said.

Sources said two top militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit had taken shelter in Bafliaz area. Troops of 6 Rashtriya Rifles, Special Operation Group (SOG) and police launched a joint operation in which top LeT militant Abu Israr and an SPO Shah Hussain (belt no. 607), working with the SOG, were killed in the early hours.

However, the other militant managed to escape from the s87ite of the encounter. Meanwhile, an AK-56 rifle, two magazines, 11 rounds, one radio set, one telephone, a diary and some documents were recovered from the slain militant, sources added.

Police said that the slain militant Abu Israr was a foreign mercenary of LeT outfit and was operating in Surankote tehsil for more than one year.

UNI