News Analysis India

Tag: Lashkar-e-Toiba

  • BJP councillor, cop killed in J&K terror attack, Lashkar-e-Toiba blamed

    By Express News Service
    SRI NAGAR: In the second terrorist attack in the Kashmir Valley in five days, terrorists on Monday stormed the building where an Urban Local Body (ULB) meeting was being held in Sopore town in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, killing a BJP municipal councilor and a policeman. Another councilor was injured in the attack.

    Police have blamed Lashkar-e-Toiba for the attack and also suspended four cops for not appropriately retaliating to the terrorist gunfire.

    Militants fired from automatic rifles towards the Municipal Council Office, where the meeting of the councilors and chairperson of Sopore municipal council was being held in the afternoon.

    Immediately after the militant attack, police, CRPF men and army men rushed to the area and launched a combing and search operation to track down the militants responsible for the attack. However, no arrests were made during the operation.

    Meanwhile, in raids conducted in Kashmir’s Kupwara district, security forces have seized a cache of arms and ammunition, including five AK assault rifles, from an area close to the Line of Control, an army official said on Monday.

    “In a major success to security forces deployed in Karnah, a huge recovery was made in the late hours of Sunday owing to high state of alertness of the army and police,” the official said. He said the security forces launched an operation based on specific intelligence input.

    “The operation was conducted in very close proximity of the LoC in Dhanni village which is under direct observation of Pakistan Army posts in Lipa Valley,” the official said.

  • J&K: US-made M-4 carbine rifle, armour piercing bullets recovered from militant killed in gunfight 

    Express News Service
    SRINAGAR: A Lashkar-e-Toiba militant was killed on Sunday in an encounter with security forces in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. The security personnel have recovered a US-made M-4 carbine rifle and 36 armour piercing bullets from the militant’s possession.

    A joint contingent of police, CRPF and army laid siege around Rawalpora area on Saturday after receiving inputs about presence of 2-3 militants including top Lakshar commander Sajad Afghani. 

    Then the security forces launched a cordon and search operation which soon turned into an encounter after militants opened fire on the security forces who retaliated.

    After an overnight lull, the exchange of fire resumed on Sunday in which one militant was killed. The deceased militant was identified as Jahangir Ahmad Wani and he joined militancy in September 2020.

    “The militants were given the opportunity to surrender. However, militants turned down the offer and fired indiscriminately on the troops. The fire was returned by the troops and in ensuing gunfight, a militant was killed,” the police official said.

    Three houses caught fire during the gunfight.

  • NIA files chargesheet against two LeT terrorists for conspiracy to wage war against India

    By PTI
    BENGALURU: The NIA filed a supplementary chargesheet before a special court here on Monday against two terrorists of Pakistan-based terror group LeT for their alleged involvement in a conspiracy to commit subversive activities and wage a war against India, besides killing key personalities of the Hindu community in the country, an official said.

    The chargesheet was filed against Dr Sabeel Ahmed of Bengaluru and Asadulla Khan of Hyderabad under sections of the India Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), a spokesperson of the country’s premier investigation agency said.

    The case, initially registered in August 2012 in Bengaluru, pertains to a conspiracy hatched by members of proscribed terror organisations Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami (HuJI) to commit subversive activities and wage a war against the government of India, the NIA official said.

    They had procured illegal arms and ammunition for targeted killings of important personalities of the Hindu community in Karnataka’s Bengaluru and Hubli, Maharashtra’s Nanded and Telangana’s Hyderabad to disturb communal harmony and strike terror in the society, the official said.

    The National Investigation Agency (NIA) re-registered the case in November 2012 and has filed chargesheets against 17 accused.

    LeT members Ahmed and Khan were involved in a criminal conspiracy, along with other accused, in supporting and furthering the cause of the terror outfit in Saudi Arabia’s Dammam and Riyadh, the NIA spokesperson said.

    They actively participated in meetings, where terrorist activities like targeted killings of important personalities of the Hindu community in Bengaluru, Hubli and Nanded were planned, the official added.

    The special NIA court in Bengaluru convicted 13 accused in the case in September 2016 and sentenced them to five years of imprisonment for their involvement in offences under the UAPA, IPC, Arms Act and Official Secrets Act.

    A trial is continuing against three accused who were named in an earlier chargesheet, the NIA official said, adding that further investigation against six absconding accused is underway.