SRI NAGAR: In a major breakthrough in the fight against militancy, police and security forces, on Thursday, killed Kashmir’s most wanted militant and Lashkar-e-Toiba’s Kashmir chief, Abu Qasim. Abu Qasim is considered the mastermind of many militant attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, including the Udhampur attack on a BSF convoy.
Inspector General of Police in Kashmir SJM Gilani said the police and army launched a joint search operation at Khandaypora village in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, 75 kms from Srinagar, Wednesday evening after receiving information about the presence of top militants there.
“At around 2 am, LeT commander Abdul Rehman alias Abu Qasim tried to escape from a house, where he was trapped. He hurled grenades and fired on the security men. In the retaliatory firing, the militant commander was killed,” he said. The IGP said two associates of Qasim were also trapped in the area and a combing operation was on to flush them out.
Qasim had escaped from security forces several times in the past. “But his luck ran out today and he was killed,” a police officer said.
Gilani termed Abu Qasim’s killing as a major success of security forces and a severe jolt to LeT and other militant groups in the Valley.
The 28-year-old Qasim, a resident of Bahawalpur, Pakistan, had been active in Kashmir for the last five years. “For the last three years, he has been heading the LeT in Kashmir,” the IGP said. Qasim was initially based in North Kashmir but shifted his base to South Kashmir after the killing of top LeT militant, Rehman Bhai, in October 2011.
Qasim had a `20 lakh bounty on his head. According to the police, Qasim was the man behind all major strikes in the Valley in last five years.