Udhampur, June 5
A divisional operational commander of Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) along with two other militants was gunned down by the security forces in Gandoh area of Doda district today. The slain LeT commander was a Pakistani national while the other two militants were locals.

Identified as Shidhat Hussain alias Paradasi (code name Akram), the LeT militant was recently appointed as divisional commander for Doda and Kishtwar after the killing of Abu Samana, another Pakistan militant, by the security forces. Akram was told to intensify operational activities in the mountainous belt of Doda district and conduct fresh recruitment.

DIG (Doda-Ramban range) Hemant Kumar Lohia said the security forces had launched a search operation in Mandara forest of Gandoh after receiving information about the presence of some militants in the area. The search operation was launched on yesterday but the security personnel spotted the militants today. In the gun battle that lasted for more than three hours, the forces eliminated all the three militants.

“One of the slain militants was a Pakistani national who was recently appointed as divisional commander of LeT,” Lohia said. He, however, made it clear that Akram had infiltrated into this belt recently after the killing of some self-styled commanders. A Pica gun and some arms and ammunition have been recovered from the killed militants.

According to reports, Akram along with other two militants was hiding in Gandoh belt after being chased by the security forces for the last one week. His death is being considered as a big blow to the LeT as the militant outfit has already lost about a dozen commanders in the last eighteen months.