Top Lashkar-e-Taiba militant Abu Ukasha killed in encounter in J&K

A Lashkar-e-Taiba militant was killed in an encounter with security forces at Handwara in North Kashmir on Sunday. 

Acting on specific information about the presence of militants in Sudal village of Magam in Handwara, police and army launched a joint cordon and search operation this morning, a police spokesman said.
As the search operation was going on, the militants fired upon the security forces triggering an encounter.

During the gunbattle, a LeT militant was killed, the spokesman said, adding the slain militant was later identified as Abu Ukasha Afghani – the divisional commander of the outfit. The search operation was going on till last reports came in, the spokesman said. The slain militant is a top LeT divisional commander and an Afghan national. He was involved in carrying out many terrorist attacks in the past. 

Handwara (J&K): A Divisional Commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit Abu Quasha got killed in an ongoing encounter pic.twitter.com/7scRcdFVkG

— ANI (@ANI_news) June 1, 2014

An AK-47 has been recovered from Ukasha.  

A few days back, two LeT militants, Zubair Ahmad alias Musab and Ishfaq Ahmad Bhat alias Amir, were killed in an encounter in Kulgam. Handwara is about 75 km from Srinagar.

(With agency inputs)