He id 16th foreign militant to be killed in Kashmir this year

A top Pakistani Lashkar-e-Toiba commander, Haider, was among two militants killed in Cheyan-Devsar area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Sunday, the police said.

Terming Haider’s killing a major success for the security forces, the police said he was part of groups involved in terror attacks and killing of civilians and police personnel. He remained active in north Kashmir for more than two years before shifting his base recently to south Kashmir.

Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of the police and the Army’s 9 Rashtriya Rifles launched a cordon and search operation in Cheyan-Devsar. An encounter ensued as the search party approached the spot where the militants were suspected to be hiding.

Shahbaz Shah, a hybrid militant, was the other casualt. An AK-56 rifle with four magazines and a pistol were seized.

Haider became the 16th foreign militant to be killed in Kashmir this year. In all, 67 militants have been killed in the first four months compared to 37 in the corresponding period last year. While no foreign militant was killed in the first four months of 2021, the later period months saw the elimination of 20 foreign militants of the total 168 killed.

Kashmir IGP Vijay Kumar attributed the success of the forces to enhanced intelligence. Moreover, the ceasefire on the border had helped the forces concentrate more on Kashmir militants, he said.

16th foreign-origin militant killed

• Haider became the 16th foreign militant to be killed in Kashmir in past 4 months
• In all, 67 militants have been killed compared to 37 in first four months of 2021
• The year 2021 saw the elimination of 20 foreign militants of the total 168 killed

Courtesy: The Tribune India: 8th May , 2022