SRINAGAR: A top militant of Lashkar-e-Toiba was arrested by security forces in Sogam area of border district of Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir.
A police official said LeT militant Abu Ukasha alias Hanzulla, a Pakistani national, was arrested by security forces from Sogam market in Lolab in Kupwara district yesterday.
He said Ukasha had come to market for some purpose. “He was not carrying any rifle but a grenade was recovered from him”.
The police official said during questioning he told them that he was part of a five member militant group.
“We are ascertaining the information given by him during questioning,” he said adding “We are quizzing him to know more information about him and his network. We are trying to get information from him about when he had infiltrated and how long he had been active”.
The official said on his disclosure, police and army men launched a joint search operation in Nagabal and Sheikh Nard forest area of Sogam last evening to flush out the LeT militants including a top commander Abu Bukar hiding there.
“As the security men were conducting operation, militants fired on them. The fire was returned by the troops and both sides exchanged gunfire for half an hour. Afterwards, there was no firing,” he said.
The official said additional security men have been rushed to the area to flush out the militants hiding in the forest area.
“No fresh contact has been established with the militants,” he said.
Abu Ukasha is the third Pakistani militant to be arrested in North Kashmir this year.
Earlier, last month police had arrested militant commander of Jaish-e-Mohammad identified as Abdul Rehman of Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK) from Hajibal area in upper reaches of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district. An Aadhaar card was also recovered from his possession.
In February this year, police had also arrested a Jaish militant Mohammad Sidiq of Sialkote, Pakistan from Kanispora area of Baramulla.
The 18-year-old militant was part of Jaish’s fidayeen squad and had reportedly escaped after storming an Army camp near Line of Control at Tangdhar in Kupwara district in January this year.
In August last year, security forces had arrested a Pakistan militant of LeT Mohammad Naved after he and his accomplice had attacked a BSF convoy on Srinagar-Jammu National highway in Udhampur. Two BSF men were killed and over a dozen injured in the militant attack. In the security forces retaliatory firing, a Pakistani militant Noman was killed and Naved arrested.