LeT chief Abu Dujana among two militants killed in Pulwama encounter

SRINAGAR: Top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Abu Dujana was killed on Tuesday in a gunfight with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir''s Pulwama district, police said. A local militant identified as Arif Lalihaari was also killed in the gunfight that took place in Hakripora village.

Dujana, was active in Kashmir for the past six years and is believed to be hailing from Gilgit-Baltistan.Tribune photo

Majid Jahangir
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, August 1

Abu Dujana, the longest surviving foreign militant, who masterminded series of Fidayeen attacks, was killed along with his associate, Arif Lalihaari, in a gunfight in south Kashmir's Pulwama district on Tuesday.

WATCH: Army and J&K Police brief media after pulwama encounter #AbuDujana https://t.co/toUjvxUqHi
— ANI (@ANI_news) August 1, 2017

The encounter started at Hakripora village in Pulwama, nearly 25 kms from Srinagar, when forces cordoned the village after an input about the presence of militants in the area.

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I hope the security forces continue to do such good work so that there is peace and calm in the state: Farooq Abdullah on #AbuDujana killed pic.twitter.com/Pc6aUc938o
— ANI (@ANI_news) August 1, 2017

As a cordon was being laid around the suspected houses in the village, the militants opened fire with an aim to break the cordon. However, the forces maintained a tight cordon and did not allow the militants to escape.

#WATCH: Deferred visuals of Pulwama (J&K) encounter- Security forces gunned down two terrorists including LeT chief commander Abu Dujana. pic.twitter.com/bgyraekjzG
— ANI (@ANI_news) August 1, 2017

"In the gunfight that followed , two militants, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Abu Dujana was killed," a senior police officer said.

J&K Police chief S P Vaid said that Dujana's killing was a huge success.

"He had spread a lot of terror and his killing is a huge success," Vaid told The Tribune.

Dujana, was active in Kashmir since last six years and was believed to be originally hailing from Gilgit-Baltistan.

The police said that Dujana had masterminded many Fidayeen attacks on security forces along the Srinagar-Anantnag national highway during the last two years that left over a dozen forces men dead.

Dujana name had also cropped during the investigation of Udhampur attack.

There were recent reports that Dujana had joined Zakir Musa-led new affiliate of Al-Qaeda.

READ: Abu Dujana was category A++ LeT terrorist, says GOC 15 Corps

Dujana carried a reward of Rs 15 lakh. Intense clashes broke near the encounter site as protesters tried to march towards Harkipora village. One persons was killed in the clashes.

In the wake of the killing of top militant commander, security forces have stepped-up vigilance in south and central Kashmir districts to ensure that people are not able to move towards Pulwama.