Two top Lashker commanders killed, hideout busted in Kashmir

Srinagar, Sep 23 (UNI) Two top commanders of the Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) were killed, while a hideout was busted in the Kashmir valley overnight, a police spokesman said today.

He said the Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police, 45 battalion CRPF and 13 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) laid a joint naka on old bridge at Sumbal in Ganderbal district.

The naka party challenged two people, moving under suspicious circumstances, he said, adding however, they immediately started firing on the naka party with automatic weapons while trying to escape.

The security forces retaliated and in the fierce clash, the two militants were killed. They were later identified as Tahir Alias Abu Tahir, self-styled divisional commander (DC), and Abdullah alias Abu Maaz, district commander for the Pattan area.

He said Tahir was involved in a number of militancy-related incidents, including killing of Commanding Officer (CO) of 29 RR, Gurbir Singh, at Behrampora in 2006.

The spokesman said security forces unearthed a hideout and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition, including two AK rifles, six magazines, 60 rounds of ammunition, four grenades, two wireless sets, one mobile phone, one Pakistani army map, one rugsack and two pouches.

UNI BAS SBC MIR KP1608