In major win, forces wipe out group behind Amarnath attack
In a major win for security forces, three Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists involved in the Amarnath attack of July were killed in an encounter in South Kashmir. They have been identified as Yawar Basir, a local, and Abu Furqan and Abu Maviya, both Pakistanis. With this, "the group that attacked Amarnath Yatris is wiped out", tweeted DGP SP Vaid. Mastermind Abu Ismail was eliminated in September.
What happened?
The encounter broke out when the group of terrorists opened fire on an army convoy on way to Srinagar at Qazigund on the Jammu-Srinagar highway. One soldier was killed and another injured. The three terrorists were killed in retaliatory firing. Another was captured alive.
All about the 2017 Amarnath attack
On July 10, seven people were killed when an Amarnath convoy was attacked by terrorists in Anantnag. Reports claimed the pilgrims' bus had flouted rules. It didn't have a number plate either. The US State Department called the attack "reprehensible" as "civilians were killed when they were exercising their right to worship". Police later said it was carried out by LeT under Ismail's supervision.
Top terrorists killed in Kashmir in recent times
In September, Abu Ismail was gunned down in an encounter in Nowgam near Srinagar. Other top terrorists including LeT's Abu Dujana, Bashir Wani and Waseem Shah; Hizbul Mujahideen's Sabzar Bhat and Jaish-e-Mohammed's Abu Khalid have also been eliminated in recent times. According to DGP Vaid, 170 terrorists have been eliminated this year till October, a record of sorts.
