SRINAGAR: Two terrorists, including a top commander of the Lashkar-e-Toiba hailing from Pakistan who had also trained in Afghanistan, were killed in a fierce gunfight in the forest area of Rajouri in J&K on Thursday, ending a two-day encounter there.
A soldier was also killed in the gunfight on Thursday, taking the toll of jawans killed in the encounter to five, including two Captains. One of the slain terrorists was identified as Qari, who had trained both in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
He was active in the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch along with his LeT group for the past year,” an Army official said. Qari, he added, is the mastermind of the Dangri and Kandi attacks in Rajouri. On January 1 and 2, militants shot dead seven civilians, including two brothers in Dangri village of Rajouri.
“Qari was an expert in IEDs, operating and hiding in caves, and a trained sniper. He was sent to revive terrorism in the region,” the official said. Meanwhile, a box dropped by a drone was found in Poonch. A Turkey-made pistol with two magazines, 38 live rounds, nine grenades and a battery-operated IED were found in the box.