Delivering a major blow to Lashkar-e-Taiba in Kashmir, Indian security forces killed two terrorists — including the mastermind of a deadly attack on Amarnath yatris this year on the outskirts of Srinagar on Thursday evening.
LeT leader Abu Ismail who has 24 years old and his associate, Abu Kasim, were “eliminated” in the encounter at Nowgam, Jammu and Kashmir director general of police said on Twitter, congratulating security forces.
Main accused of Amarnath Yatra attack Abu Ismail and his associate Abu Kasim eliminated today in Nowgam. Keep it up my @JmuKmrPolice boys! 🇮🇳
— -Shesh Paul Vaid (
Security forces suspected Ismail’s involvement in the killing of eight Amarnath Yatra pilgrims at Anantnag on July 10, although the LeT denied it, besides the attack on CRPF personnel near DPS-Srinagar in June. He is the fourth top militant leader to be killed in the Valley since 2016.
In a separate post, the official Twitter handle of the Indian Army’s Chinar Corps said:
(#OpAripura (Naugam), two #terrorists including LeT Cdr Abu Ismail killed, weapons recovered. Operations over 
— ChinarCorps.IA (@Chinarcorps_IA) September 14, 2017
Kashmir inspector general of police Muneer Khan confirmed Ismail’s death at a press conference on Thursday evening.
Ismail, an A-plus category militant involved in 15 criminal cases including murder, had taken over the reins of the LeT’s south Kashmir operations after his predecessor — Abu Dujana — was killed in an encounter last month.
Khan said the operation was successful because Kashmiris wanted the terrorists to pay for their crimes. “These people had attacked unarmed Amarnath yatris, and there was widespread condemnation of the attack,” he added.
Security forces are still hunting for two others, a local resident and a Pakistani militant, involved in other terrorist attack.
Major General BS Raju, general officer commanding of Special force, said that the operation was very important because Ismail’s death was likely to create a vacuum in the LeT leadership.
