Three terrorists were killed in an encounter that started on Saturday night, 19 June, between terrorists and security forces at Gund Brath area of Sopore in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Monday, 21 June.
Mudasir Pandit, one among those killed, was a top commander of the proscribed terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, and had been involved in civilian killings and attacks on security forces.
"Top LeT terrorist Mudasir Pandit who was involved in the killing of three policemen, two councillors, and two civilians recently, and other terror crimes got killed in Sopore encounter," IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar was quoted as saying.
Another of the encountered terrorists has been identified as Asrar Abdullah, a resident of Pakistan, who had been active in North Kashmir since 2018.
Abdullah was serving as the chief of LeT in Sopore, IGP Vijay Kumar said. All three terrorists have been identified as belonging to LeT.
Security officials had conducted a cordon and search operation in the Sopore region of Baramulla district late night on 20 June, Sunday, after they received intelligence about the attendance of the three terrorists, including Pandit, in the area.
As the security forces zeroed in on the spot where terrorists were hiding, they came under a heavy volume of fire that triggered the encounter.
"The killing of LeT commander Mudasir is a big relief for the local population," IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar said.
(With inputs from IANS and ANI)
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