Three top commanders of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba are among the five killed in Friday's encounter with the security forces in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The five militants were killed in the encounter which ended on Friday night after a massive explosion in a house, where the ultras were holed up, at Maidanpora, a police spokesman said.
The top militants killed were Saqib alias Sohail, LeT's divisional commander for north Kashmir; Hamad alias Haneef, divisional commander for Kupwara; and Qari Saifullah, divisional commander for central Kashmir. The other militants were Chotta Saad, battalion commander of the outfit, and Umair alias Hafiz.
Their charred bodies were recovered from under the debris of the house.
Five AK-47 rifles were recovered.
Most wanted militant
Saqib, responsible for the killing of a policeman at Sopore earlier this month, was considered the backbone of the Lashkar in Lolab and had been active since 2009. Hamad was one of the most wanted militants in north Kashmir, having been active since 2008. He was injured in an Army operation in December.
Qari Saifullah was active in the Ganderal and Harwan areas of central Kashmir.
Published - July 17, 2011 02:10 am IST
