Security forces gunned down Abu Musaib, a Lashkar-e-Taiba militant in an encounter that broke out in the Hajin area of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district. Investigations are on to find out if the terrorist slain in Jammu and Kashmir is the nephew of the dreaded 26/11 Mumbai Terror attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.
Acting on specific intelligence, security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Hajin area of Bandipora and cornered LeT commander Musaib.
The LeT militant responded by opening fire. The forces retaliated and killed him.
J&K Director General of Police, SP Vaid said the killing of the militant commander was a huge success. “As per our information, he is nephew of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi,” Vaid said.
Police said that a brief gunfight erupted in wee hours when forces cordoned Hajin village and the militant commander tried to break the cordon.
“As the area was being cordoned, the hiding militant opened fire triggering a brief gunfight. In the firefight a militant was killed and a policeman was critically injured,” a police officer in north Kashmir said.
An AK-47 rifle, three Chinese grenades and war-like stores was recovered from the gunfight site.
Police said that Musaib was the divisional commander of the group for Bandipore and Ganderbal districts and was instrumental in establishing the Lashkar network in the area.
“Abu Musaib was active from 2015,” they said.
Some miscreants pelted stones on the security forces near the encounter site. This came days after three terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Anantnag district.
Musaib is said to have been the incharge of LeT’s activities in Bandipora and was actively involved in strengthening the terror organisation’s network in the region.
Earlier in the month, security forces had killed top Lashkar-e-Taiba militant Muzaffar Naikoo alias Muzz Moulvi in an encounter on the outskirts of Srinagar.
