Six LeT terrorists were gunned down in north Kashmir's Bandipora district today in an encounter in which a Garud commando of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was also martyred.
According to news agency ANI, of the 6 terrorists, one was Owaid – son of Abdul Rehman Makki and nephew of Mumbai attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.
Two other foreign militants, including LeT commanders Zargam and Mehmood, are also among the militants killed on Saturday, police said.
Defence Ministry Spokesman Col. Rajesh Kalia said troopers of the Rashtriya Rifles (RR), Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) surrounded Chandergair village in Hajin area of Bandipora district, following information about the presence of militants there.
As the cordon around the hiding militants was tightened, they fired at the security forces, triggering a gunbattle in which one soldier of the Indian Air Force's Garud Commandos was killed, while six terrorists were also neutralised, he said.
The Garud Commando Force is the special forces unit of the IAF.
"One soldier has also sustained injuries in the operation," Col. Kalia said.
The operation has now ended, police said.
Earlier this month, Army had said that around 80 militants have been killed in south Kashmir in the past six months and around 115 ultras are still active in the region, of whom over a dozen were foreign terrorists.
