SRINAGAR: Six militants, including four commanders of Lashkar-e-Taiba, have been killed in three gunfights with security forces in the last four days. The security forces, Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh said, are targeting militant leadership and have killed 26 militant commanders this year so far.
According to him, the killing of militant commanders has broken the leadership structure of militants. “The killing of militant commanders has demoralised the militants,” he asserted. Lashkar’s north Kashmir head Sajjad Hyder, his Pakistani associate Osman Bhai and another local militant were killed in a gunfight a few days ago after militants attacked a joint party of police and CRPF.
In Handwara, Sajjad’s successor Nasir alias Abu Saad along with his Pakistani associate Danish Bhai were killed on Wednesday. Singh termed the killing of the four as a great achievement of security forces and a major setback to the militants.
Nasir was a sharp-shooter and had undergone arms training in Pakistan, he said. According to the J&K police chief, different groups of Lashkar in north Kashmir were working jointly. The DGP said the four commanders killed in last four days figured among the top 20 wanted militant commanders in J&K.