Major terror attack averted as security force kill LeT fidayeen

Security forces averted a major terror attack when they killed a top Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba fidayeen along with his Kashmiri counterpart in a fierce gun battle at Malwari village of Newa in south Kashmir's Pulwama district.

Abu Ayan was part of four to five member Pakistani fidayeen group of Lashkar-e-Taiba which infiltrated some weeks ago and carried out Pampore terror attack on Saturday. Eight CRPF men were killed and 22 others injured in the attack.

Two members of the fidayeen group were later eliminated by the CRPF in the retaliatory action. One or two fidayeens are still on loose. Intelligence sources said Abu Ayan was planning another sensational attack in the south Kashmir area.

Intelligence sources said before Ayan could execute his plans, security forces got a tip off about his presence in a house along with Kashmiri militant Manzoor Ahmad. After a brief encounter both the militants were eliminated.

"The killed foreign terrorist is believed to be part of same fidayeen group which infiltrated some weeks back and moved from north Kashmir to south. They were believed to be four to five in number. Of them two carried out the Pampore attack and others were planning another spectacular attack," said an intelligence officer.

Police is investigating whether Abu Ayan was part of the group that attacked the CRPF bus on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Frestbal Pampore on Saturday in which eight soldiers were killed and 22 others injured five of them critically.

Sources said there were four fidayeens at the site of attack of which two escaped in a Maruti car. "We are investigating whether Abu Ayan was one of the two militants who escaped from the scene," said an officer.

Superintendent of police, Pulwama, Rayees Mohammad Bhat told dna that the operation was launched after specific inputs about the presence of militants in the village.

"We cordoned off the village and when we started search operation we came under fire from the militants. An encounter ensued in which two militants of Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed. One of them is a foreign national code named Abu Ayan. Another is a local militant Manzoor Ahmad of Kakpora," he said

Superintendent of Police Pulwama said Manzoor had become active just 10 to 12 days back. "Manzoor was earlier a facilitator and over ground worker of LeT. He recently became active and joined Lashkar-e-Taiba 10 to 12 days back", he said.

Official figures reveal that 74 militants have been killed in the first six months of 2016. Plus 31 security force personnel –11 army men, 10 CRPF personnel, seven policemen and three BSF personnel—have also lost their lives in different incidents since January 1. Eleven civilians too have been killed in the last six months.

June has been the bloodiest with 41 casualties recording in this month. They included 24 militants and a civilian. Among the slain are three BSF personnel, three Jammu Kashmir Policemen, two army men and eight Central Reserve Police Force personnel.

Meanwhile, violent protests broke out in the area after the killing of two militants. Protestors clashed with security forces and pelted stones on their formations in the area.