Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 3: A top Lashkar-e-Toiba commander, Abu Huraira who was trapped by police in the outskirts of Srinagar last night slipped out of the cordon in the wee hours today taking advantage of darkness.
A police official said here that Police and CRPF launched a joint operation in Ahmad Nagar area in the peripheries of North Srinagar last night after they got specific information about the presence of a top LeT commander Abu Huraira in the area.
However, he fled early in the morning from a shawl weaving centre where he was trapped in Ahmad Nagar area by taking advantage of darkness through nearby Anachar wetland.
At least 8 police men including a Sub-Inspector of Police were injured in the fire fight as the LeT commander hurled grenade on the search parties.
Police sources said that firing in the area continued upto 3:30 a.m. but after that it stopped. Believing that commander has died, police searched the area in the morning and found him escaped.
Sources, however, put the number of militants who were trapped at 3. A lesser known militant outfit Al-Shuhda Brigade in its statement issued to a local news agency said: “The commanders of Alnasreen, Farzandani Milat, Al-Shuhda Brigade were busy in a meeting at Ahmad Nagar. In the meantime the security forces cordoned off the area but our cadres gave a tough fight to the forces and managed to make a safe passage for the commanders. However while fleeing from the spot they injured a number of security men.”
Massive searches of Ahmad Nagar area were immediately conducted to trace the commander but he was not found anywhere. Security forces then searched the Anachar area but there were no traces of the commander.
In the meantime, the Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police last night arrested Inayatullah Lone from his village at Khanpet in North Kashmir. One AK-47 rifle and two pistols were recovered from his possession.
Lone was arrested hours after a top Hizbul Mujahideen militant Nisar Shah was arrested from Sopore yesterday. Sources said that based on the information provided by Shah, Lone was arrested.
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