LeT comdr arrested, associate trapped

Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, June 20: Police this evening achieved a major success when they arrested a top Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander from North Kashmir Sogam town when he was purchasing eatables from the market.
The apprehended militant commander has been identified as Abu Ukasha alias Hanzullah of Pakistan. One grenade and Rs 38,000 cash were recovered from his possession.
The militant commander had infiltrated into Kashmir in November-December last year and was mostly operating form Handwara and Lolab forests. The official termed the arrest of the Pakistani militant as a big success.
Sources said that two of his associates fled when police arrested the militant commander from the market. One among them is believed to be local and another a foreigner.
Police accompanied by army later conducted an operation in Nagbal and Sheikh Nard forest area of Sogam during which a gunbattle broke out as the militant fired at police and army joint party.
Security forces trapped one of Abu Ukasha’s associate, Abu Bakar who was also in the market at the time of his arrest but fled away.
The firing at Nagbal forest area continued for about an hour and it has stopped now. Security forces have cordoned whole area and they will conduct the searches in the morning. They, however, believed that the militant has been killed but will only confirm when his body is recovered.
In the meantime, army and Police launched a massive operation in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district after they heard few gun shots form Sumlar forest area of the district this evening.
An army patrol had gone to the Sumlar forest area and they were fired at from a distance by militants. More troops and police was rushed to the area and a massive operation has been launched in the forest area.
Security forces had launched an operation against a heavily armed 6 member militant group belonging to LeT last week in Bandipora forests after the group was spotted in the area.
Army’s 14, 27 RR, 7-para commandos and Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police had launched a massive search operation in Chuntmulla, Kudara, Sirinder, Kutapathri and Gabipathri areas of Bandipora.

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