LeT Commander killed in encounter

Srinagar Aug 17: A top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander was killed in an ambush in south Kashmir's Pulwama on Wednesday.Muhammad Ayub Lone alias Ayub Lelhari was killed on the Pulwama-Srinagar stretch.

Police sources said the "No.1 LeT local militant" from Pulwama was spotted traveling in a vehicle after a specific tip off."It was a brief encounter," said a police spokesman.

Lelhari was considered the main local face of the LeT in south Kashmir. He was a close confidante of the slain LeT operation commander Abu Dujana.

Sources said the vehicle carrying Lelhari was ambushed at Pulwama's Banderpora area."He tried to flee towards an apple orchard, but was fired upon and killed," said the official.A policeman was also injured in the encounter, said the police.

Sources said Lelhari was being shifted to Srinagar for treatment after he suffered injuries in the 16-hour Samboora gunfight in Shopian on Sunday. Three militants, including Hizbul Mujahideen operational commander Yasin Itoo, were killed in that encounter.

"He Lelhari was one of the most wanted terrorists. It’s a great success for the forces," said Director General of Police, J&K, S.P. Vaid.

Meanwhile, CRPF jawan Reyaz Ahmad, who was injured in a grenade attack by militants in Budgam district on Monday, succumbed in a Srinagar hospital on Wednesday.

An Army spokesman said Narendra Singh, a jawan who suffered injuries in firing from across the Line of Control in Rampur Sector on August 7, also died on Wednesday.