Bashir Lashkari — a recycled militant who joined LeT in 2015

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 1

Security grid had gone into an overdrive to zero in on militant commander Bashir Lashkari, after he along with other militants ambushed a police party a fortnight back killing five policemen and a Station House Officer in Anantnag. The police claimed that attackers later disfigured cops’ faces before walking away with their weapons.

Bashir Wani, alias Bashir Lashkari, an “A plus plus” category militant, in his early thirties, was a recycled militant and joined the Lashkar-e-Toiba ranks in October 2015. He carried a reward of Rs 10 lakh and his name was also in the 12 most-wanted militant list issued recently by the Army.

After the killing of the policemen at Achabal, Anantnag, on June 16, efforts were stepped up to track him down. Lashkari is believed to have escaped security cordon at least twice since the killing of six policemen, police sources said.

“His killing is a major success,” a police officer said.

Lashkari, had crossed to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in 1999 at the age of 15 and returned in 2000 after arms training. After his return he joined the Hizbul Mujahideen. He was later arrested in 2001 and remained in jail for three year. He rejoined militancy at least twice since 2008.

“With his killing, the ability of his group (Lashkar) to carry out major actions has been substantially restricted,” General Officer Commanding of Victor Force, the Army’s counter-insurgency division in south Kashmir, Maj Gen BS Raju said.

In 2016 when Kashmir was in the grip of unrest, Laskahri, a resident of Sopshali Kokernag was blamed by the police for being involved in many rifle-snatching incidents and attacks on police pickets guarding a few politicians in Anantnag. Lashkari was the outfit’s commander in Anantnag district and was also “motivating youth to the join militancy”.

Security agencies claim that the Lashkar had received major jolts in south Kashmir in the past fortnight. “The Lashkar has suffered a major reverse in south Kashmir in the past fortnight. We have been able to kill top local commander of the group Junaid Mattoo and now Bashir Lashkari,” a police officer said.

Mehbooba mourns civilian killings

Srinagar: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has expressed grief over the death of two civilians during an anti-militancy operation in Anantnag on Saturday. Terming the deaths as tragic and unfortunate, the Chief Minister appealed to the people to keep away from the points of conflagration. Conveying her sympathies to the bereaved families, Mehbooba said the vicious cycle of death and destruction confronting Kashmir must end at the earliest and efforts should be made at all levels to revive the peace and reconciliation process for the larger good of the people of the Valley. “People of the state understand better what the ordeal of violence is, as it has been our fate to live through hazards,” she said. TNS