Another LeT commander killed in Kashmir

Ayub Lelhari, a self styled commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), was killed on Wednesday in an encounter with security forces in South Kashmir's Pulwama district.

"Ayub Lelhari District Commander LeT was killed in a brief encounter with security forces at Banderpora area of Koil in Pulwama. He (Ayub) was one of the most wanted terrorists and his killing is a great success for the forces," Superintdent Police (SP) Pulwama, Aslam Chowdhary told DH.

Lelhari had joined the militancy in 2014. Earlier, this month Lelhari had escaped from an encounter site in Sambooar area of Pulwama. In that encounter, one militant of the Abu Ismail group, was killed. According to police Abu Ismail is the mastermind of July 10 terror attack on a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag.

Eight pilgrims were killed while 20 others were injured in the attack.

Ayub Lelhari is the third top militant commander killed in Kashmir this month. On August 13, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen self-styled operational Chief Yasin Yatoo alias Mehmood Ghaznavi was killed along with his two associates in Shopian district of South Kashmir. Ghaznavi, 41, was one of the longest surviving militants in the Valley and had successfully mobilized the Hizbul cadres after the killing of Burhan Wani in July last year.

On August 1, Abu Dujana, the most-wanted LeT commander, who was wanted in dozens of terror attacks, was killed in an encounter with security forces along with his associate in Pulwama.

136 militants, including top commanders like Ghaznavi, Dujana, Sabzar Bhat, Bashir Lashkari and Junaid Mattoo, have been killed so far this year in the Valley, which is highest in the last eight years. The security forces are going after militants as part of operation "hunt down" and on the basis of a “hit list” of militants.

In the first 16-days of this month, 31 people, including 21 militants, five civilians and five security personnel have been killed in militancy related incidents.

Meanwhile, a CRPF trooper, who was injured in a grenade attack by militants in central Kashmir's Budgam district on August 14, succumbed to injuries on Wednesday at SKIMS hospital in Srinagar.