SRINAGAR (TIP): Militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba Thursday suffered a major setback when Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Army, in a joint operation, killed its operational chief and its senior most commander and strategist in the Valley at Kulgam area in South Kashmir.
Abdul Rahman alias Qasim had a cash reward of Rs 20 lakh on his head and had been active in the Valley since 2009.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was also looking for Qasim after captured Pakistani militant Naveed Ahmad told the interrogators that he (Abdul Rahman) had tasked him and another Pakistani militant to carry out the August 5 attack at Udhampur in which two BSF personnel were killed.
Police said apart from masterminding the Udhampur attack in August that left two BSF personnel dead and 12 others injured, he was also part of the LeT squad which carried out the 2013 fidayeen attack at Hyderpora in which 12 Armymen were killed and 16 injured.
Naveed had exposed many hideouts of Qasim, especially in South Kashmir. But in the last two months, Qasim had escaped twice after shootouts with the security forces. Sources said it was with the help of the network of human intelligence that they finally managed to kill him.
Inspector General of Police Kashmir Range Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gillani termed the killing of the Lashkar commander “a big success for the security forces”.