Top LeT commander Altaf Lalli gunned down in Bandipora encounter
According to India Today, the joint operation by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police was launched early Friday morning after receiving specific intelligence on terrorist movement in the area
Indian security forces on Friday (25 April) gunned down senior Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Altaf Lalli in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district, as part of a wider crackdown following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people earlier this week.
According to India Today, the joint operation by the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police was launched early Friday morning after receiving specific intelligence on terrorist movement in the area. The search operation soon escalated into a gunfight when security personnel established contact with the terrorists.
Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi reached Srinagar on the same day and was briefed on the ongoing operations in Bandipora. He is expected to carry out a detailed security review to assess efforts to eliminate the LeT operatives suspected to be involved in the 22 April Baisaran Valley massacre.
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In a separate operation on Friday, security forces, in coordination with the J&K administration, demolished the homes of two local terrorists allegedly linked to the Pahalgam attack. The house of LeT militant Adil Hussain Thoker in Bijbehara was destroyed using improvised explosive devices (IEDs), while another suspect, Asif Sheikh's home in Tral, was bulldozed.
Thoker is believed to have played a key role in aiding Pakistani operatives in planning and executing the attack that shook the Baisaran Valley, a popular tourist destination.
The Anantnag Police has announced a reward of Tk20 lakh for credible information on Thoker and two Pakistani nationals – Ali Bhai and Hashim Musa – identified as the key assailants in the attack. Sketches of all three suspects have been released as part of a manhunt.
Security officials believe the group of four to five militants had emerged from dense pine forests surrounding the valley and opened indiscriminate fire on tourists using AK-47 rifles.
Eyewitnesses reported that the attackers, clad in army fatigues, were checking identification documents to verify religion and executed several non-Muslims at point-blank range.
